Destined to Suffer
by Dorkylokifan
Summary: Thor is married to Sif, and Loki to Sigyn but the brothers have a secret that will rip the entire royal family apart. One that they have managed to keep for years until the day Loki starts to show symptoms of pregnancy. Major Character death, heartache, tragic romance. Incest M/M Explicit.
1. Chapter 1

Loki looked at his face in the mirror and frowned. He was 16 and still had not grown one whisker on his face. Not one. He looked over at his brother as he swiped the razor across his cheek. Show off.

"Don't worry Loki. One day you'll reach manhood like me." Thor said.

"You should stop shaving. You look like a girl without a beard."

"I've always been pretty." Thor said with that damn bastard smile.

"And people think I'm the one that is ergi." Loki said. Thor's face fell and Loki smiled, having finally landed an insult that hurt his brother. Or so he thought.

"People are too harsh on the ergi men." Thor muttered as he returned his attention to the mirror.

"Such proclivities are illegal. You know that." Loki said, brushing his hair.

"I don't see why." Thor said. Loki put down the brush and looked at his brother more closely.

"Thor are you trying to tell me something?"

"No, I'm just saying that if _you_ need to tell me something, it is safe for you to do so."

"I'm not ergi!" Loki huffed. "I haven't even had sex yet." Loki grumbled. Thor smiled at that.

"Nor will you ever with those scrawny legs." Thor said.

"You say that now, just wait until the ladies find out whose cock is bigger!"

"Your dick is not bigger than mine."

"Is too. I've seen yours."

"Gazing at my meat brother?"

"Oh please. Like you don't parade around our room naked on a daily basis."

"But you don't. It's like you're afraid I'll see your tiny cock."

"Want to compare? I'll pull mine out right now." Loki said. He heard a swish of skirts behind him at the bathroom door and cringed. He wondered how much Frigga had heard.

"Boys your father wants to meet with you in the throne room. He has something important to tell you." Frigga said with a warm smile.

"In the throne room? It is official state business then yes?" Thor asked.

"It is." Frigga said. "You have ten minutes to finish getting ready." She turned to leave but then stopped. "There is a ruler here on the vanity should either of you need it." She said with mirth before stepping out of the room.

Loki and Thor both turned beet red and did not look one another in the eye again until they reached the throne room.

"Ah, my boys!" Odin said and waved for them to come close. Thor and Loki both knelt in the customary manner for such official announcements.

"Rise, both of you. Thor, my first born, you have reached the age of manhood and so are commanded to go on a quest alone. You must slay a great beast of your choosing. Only when you have done so may you return. At that time a great feast will be held in your honor."

"Will I finally get my own room?" Thor asked. Odin chuckled.

"Yes, you will finally be moved from the nursery to the sunrise wing and will be given the apartments fitting a royal prince with all the duties that come with that prestigious title."

"What of me father?" Loki asked.

"Loki you have another 2 years at least before your quest."

"But father, I am every bit as capable as Thor of slaying an animal by myself!"

"I know son, but you are still young yet. Enjoy the remainder of your childhood while you can. Thor's new duties, once assigned, will take up much of his time. His days of spending hours in the training stables are over. He must now focus on politics and the intellectual requirements of ruling." Odin said. Thor groaned audibly. Knowing that his big brother would be suffering in some small way did brighten Loki's mood. Still, he wished he didn't have to linger in the shadows for so long.

"When does my quest begin?" Thor asked.

"Tomorrow morning. I recommend you spend the rest of the day preparing your provisions for your trip." Odin said.

"Yes father." Thor said. The boys were dismissed and they set out to the kitchens and the stables. Thor sweet talked the palace cook into making some oatmeal berry bars for his journey. They would come in handy on the mornings when there was little time for cooking breakfast.

"Which beast are you planning to hunt?" Loki asked.

"I think I'll go after the Griffin of the Dark Forest. Like me, it can fly and the wing adornments denoting the kill, would complement my armor well."

"A good choice." Loki said.

"What beast will you hunt?" Thor asked.

"The red dragon of Mount Suhr." Loki said. Thor shook his head and chuckled.

"Always so ambitious brother. Do you really want the big horns of the dragon adorning your helmet?"

"Of course! They are elegant and command a great deal of attention."

"That they do." Thor said. Thor finished packing and the two headed to lunch before meeting up with their friends for a bit of swordplay.

"Hi Thor." Sif said with a smile, then her face fell when she saw his brother. "Loki."

"So, what was the big news this morning?" Fandral asked.

"I am a man!" Thor announced.

"Not yet you're not. You have to kill a great beast first." Loki said.

"Yes, and once I do I'll finally have my own room." Thor said.

"And so will I. No more tripping over your muddy leathers in the middle of the floor."

"No more nagging." Thor said. Sif and the others chuckled. Loki felt a pang of heartache stab his chest then and he visibly deflated. It suddenly dawned on Loki that he was about to be cut out of Thor's daily life. Loki would still be coming to the arena for weapons training, while Thor would spend the day with their father learning the politics of the realm. Sure they'd see each other at meal time but that would be it. Their evenings with each other would also end, and while Loki did like the idea of getting a space to call his own he knew he would be lonely without Thor.

Sif challenged Thor to a fight. Loki sat with Volstagg and Hogun and watched as Sif openly flirted with his brother during the match. The wrestling moves Thor usually used on her backfired, for she would rub her ass or press her breasts against his form, causing him to let go in embarrassment.

He should have enjoyed the show more than he did. Seeing Thor red-faced and humiliated normally gave Loki joy. Instead he felt hot searing anger towards Sif and could not name the reason why.

"She's going to be Queen one day, mark my words." Fandral said.

"Aye, I don't doubt it. Thor would be a fool to turn that down, and she has all the qualifications to rule at his side." Volstagg said.

"Why? Because she can swing a sword and has a pretty face? I would hardly call those qualifications." Loki said.

"You're only saying that because you want her." Fandral said.

"I do not!" Loki said.

"Sure you don't." Volstagg said.

"I don't!"

"Me thinks Loki protests too much." Fandral said, egging him on. Loki got up in a huff and walked away. To the others, his actions merely confirmed their unfounded suspicions.

Loki did not see Thor again until dinner, where Sif's blatant flirting continued. Every time Thor smiled at her it felt like a knife twisting in his heart.

"Loki if your frown goes any deeper son it'll stay there permanently." Odin said.

"I wasn't frowning." Loki said.

"Ah son, if you have feelings for the Lady Sif you should speak them to her."

"She doesn't feel that way about me." Loki said. More importantly, was that he did not feel that way about her.

"Well then, try not to wear your jealousy so openly. Be happy that your brother has found such a competent match. You in time, will find one also."

"I know father." Loki said. His feelings felt like a mixed up ocean wave of confusion and he couldn't process what was happening. All he knew was, he didn't feel hungry anymore.

"May I be excused father?"

"Yes you may. Goodnight son."

"Goodnight father." Loki said. He returned to his room and pulled a book off the shelf to read. He noted then, Thor's jewelry box. It was covered in dust and contained various rings with royal seals and other gems worn for special occasions. Loki looked around then and noted all the things in the room that would be gone soon. He felt like crying and then felt silly for it. He didn't understand why he was so upset. He did want his own room, and so tried to focus on all of Thor's disgusting habits that bothered him. He hunkered down and got lost in a volume of poetry for about an hour, until he heard Thor enter.

"Brother!" Thor said looking a little too rosy cheeked and grinning.

"Thor I can smell the ale from here. How much did you drink tonight?"

"Only two mugs."

"Yes well, you smell like a brewery."

"Tis the way that all men smell is it not?"

"No, it's not." Loki said. Thor lumbered forward and landed on Loki's bed. "What are you doing, stupid oaf? Your bed is over there." He pointed.

"I'm going to miss you." Thor said. Loki rolled his eyes.

"You're drunk."

"I can't wait to get my own room though."

"Oh, and why is that?"

"So I can finally wank-off without worrying if you're awake."

"You're disgusting."

"I never see you wanking-off. When do you do it?"

"I don't!"

"Liar. You do it in the tub don't you?"

"So what if I do? It's easy to clean up in there and I don't have to worry about the servants seeing embarrassing sheet stains."

"Who do you think about when you're in there?" Thor asked with his head smashed against the mattress. Loki blushed bright pink. He'd never thought about a specific person really. It was more of a feeling. A feeling of love and intimacy and golden skin. Blue eyes. Insufferable…oaf…

"None of your business." Loki said quietly. Thor lifted his head to look up at his brother.

"Do you know who I think about when I touch myself?"

"Sif of course."

"No. Not her." Thor's gazed burned into Loki's eyes and Loki shuddered.

"Thor…"

"Brother, I think I'm ergi." Thor said.

"How do you know?"

"I'm not attracted to Sif at all."

"Well, you just haven't found the right girl yet." Loki said.

"There is no right girl." Thor crawled up Loki's body and Loki held his breath.

"We can't." Loki said.

"Why not?"

"Why not? Are you mad? We are brothers Thor! It is incest! It is illegal!"

"It is love. Tell me you do not feel it as well?"

"We'll get caught."

"How? Our bedchambers are warded for privacy. The door is locked. Who's going to know?"

"I will." Loki said.

"Yes, and you'll know that my heart belongs to you." Thor leaned in and kissed him. In that kiss, clarity came. All of Loki's jumbled emotions from that afternoon made sense. He returned Thor's embrace with fervor and the two boys spent the entire night giving themselves to one another.


	2. Chapter 2

Thor and Loki looked out onto the vast open field of wildflowers as they rode their horses home from their hunting trip. Loki felt the delightful ache of their earlier love making. Thor had been a beast that afternoon. It was getting harder and harder for the two of them to find time to be alone. Thor's friends were in his rooms at all hours of the day. Sif in particular. The woman had a bad habit of wearing out her welcome. They both knew it was because she was hoping Thor would finally extend an invitation to her to share his bed. Thor never did.

"Happy Birthday Loki." Thor said.

"Thank you brother." Loki said, looking at Thor with loving eyes. They'd mastered the art of having whole conversations without saying a word. They'd had to. They never knew when Heimdall was listening. Loki had learned the spell that was used to block Heimdall's sight to see into their bedrooms. He now cast that spell whenever he and Thor had an interlude. Heimdall had yet to bring it up in conversation, but lately there was a questioning look in his eyes. But for the moment, Loki was only concerned with the look in Thor's eyes. The look of adoration and love unspoken.

"I would like to come hunting again in two weeks if we can manage it." Thor said.

"Yes. Though in the mean time I would like to spend more time with you inventorying the armory." Loki spoke in code. The armory was Thor's bedroom closet, the back area specifically where all of Thor's battle armor was stored. Just the thought of Thor bending him over while surrounded by chainmail and leather did things to him.

"All this friction from riding the horses has made you excited I see." Thor said, commenting on Loki's burgeoning erection.

"The right stimulation always gets a response from me." Loki said with a smile. They returned to the palace and unloaded their packs from their horses. A page boy came running up to them.

"His Majesty is requesting a private dinner with your Highness Prince Thor this evening." The boy said.

"Thank you Sven. You may go." Thor said. "I wonder what topic father wishes to discuss?" Thor muttered.

"Indeed." Loki said. They didn't say it, but they both knew. Thor has been dodging marriage for the last five years. The first five years after becoming a man, he'd been able to skirt the issue. But lately, their father has been pressing Thor to settle down and produce an heir.

Thor left the stables and went to his father's study where a small table was laid out with a meal for two. Thor braced himself for the inevitable. Odin looked up at him with a measured smile. It was a look Thor knew well. Odin had made a decision about something and whatever it was, Thor had no choice in the matter.

"Ah, Thor there you are. How was the hunting?"

"Good, Loki and I brought back an Elk. 18 points on the antlers."

"Very nice. Come sit my son, we have something to discuss."

"Yes father." Thor said. He took his seat and picked up his fork. The roasted boar looked well-seasoned.

"What is it you wish to discuss?"

"I've been talking with Sif's father regarding a possible marriage arrangement between the two of you. I have decided that in three moons, you and she are to be wedded, unless that is you have someone else in mind?" Odin asked. Thor's heart broke with the pain of holding back the truth.

"No father. There is no one else." Thor said.

"Are you certain? Long have I wondered why you have not taken more interest in Sif. She is a beautiful woman and an ideal candidate. Do you have any personal objections to being married to her? Any concerns?"

"No father. Sif is a good friend."

"Ah. Friend. I had hoped that you would feel more affection for her. Love makes a marriage so much easier."

"Aye, I agree but I do not harbor such feelings for her beyond amiable companionship."

"Well, it is good to have that at least. Not all arranged marriages start out so well. Sif will find it hard when she realizes that her affections are not returned. She loves you son. Do try to give her a chance."

"Yes father."

"Are you sure, there is no one else? You seem so resigned."

"No, I don't know what love is. I have yet to discover it. Marrying Sif means I never will."

"Son, you would not be the first King to take a mistress." Odin said. Thor looked at his father scandalized. Odin loves Frigga. The thought of him cheating on her was inconceivable. "My marriage to your mother did not have a good start. It was arranged and at first we did not like one another. But we were complete strangers. My having a mistress only hurt your mother in a superficial way. It wasn't until you were born that she and I really got to know one another. I fell in love with her and found I no longer wanted a mistress."

"But father, I know I will never love her. If you make me marry her, you are dooming her to a lifetime of jealousy."

"Then you had better be discreet. Like it or not Thor, I am getting old. And while I have a couple of centuries left in me I would like to see my grandchildren born. You will wed Sif. That is my final judgement."

"That's not fair. At least give me the opportunity to look for a woman I can love."

"I have, for several years now. You have made zero effort Thor! All I hear about are these one night dalliances with courtesans. Not once have you asked a lady into formal courtship. You have squandered your opportunity. The time has come for you to settle down." Odin said.

Thor could not refute anything Odin said. The only reason there were any ladies talking about Thor's sexual exploits was because he and Loki both knew they had to keep up appearances, which meant occasionally fucking random women.

He and his father finished the meal in silence. Thor spent the time thinking about how he would break the news to Loki. Of all the women he could wed, Sif was the worst as far as Loki was concerned. They hated one another. Thor walked at a snail's pace back to his chambers, knowing Loki would be waiting for him there. The minute the door shut Loki plied him with questions.

"What did father want?" Loki asked.

"The thing we have feared has finally happened. I am betrothed to Sif. We will marry in three moons." Thor said. Loki began pacing like a caged lion.

"No. Not her. Any simpering dull witted maid but not HER!" Tears sprang from Loki's eyes as fury set them ablaze.

"Loki…"

"Don't Loki me."

"We both knew this day would come my love. You'll be next. Sooner or later father will select a bride for you as well."

"I hate you Thor. You did this to us. You made me feel…you made me love you…You dangled happiness before me, knowing one day it would be snatched away."

"You wanted it to. Don't pretend you didn't. I only realized it before you did."

"I could have found love with someone else."

"Oh really? Who? Who in all the realm would dare reveal their ergi nature to a crowned prince? By definition we are the authority. We are supposed to persecute known criminals. You are all I have Loki. You are my whole world. I could no sooner cast you aside than tear my heart from my chest. Sif is just an obstacle. I am not replacing you."

"She wants you. That smug bitch, she wants you and she'll gloat. She knows about us. I swear she does. She's jealous of me. She always has been."

"She doesn't know about us, but I know what you mean. I have to share my bed with your rival. I know it is a bitter pill to swallow. I certainly will not enjoy it." Thor said.

"You promise?"

"I don't know how I'm going to get it up to fuck her."

"That's the sweetest thing you've ever said to me." Loki fell against Thor's chest, letting his lover embrace him.


	3. Chapter 3

There was barely a moment, on the day of Thor's wedding when Loki did not have a flute of champagne or a mug of mead in his hand. Still, he couldn't get too inebriated. People were watching him and he couldn't let on why he was drinking so much.

As Thor said the sacred words to Sif, binding them together, Loki bit the inside of his cheek. He couldn't shed any tears. He couldn't show any emotion at all.

Thor embraced Sif in the ceremonial kiss and Sif went for it. Deep and passionate, this was her shining moment of victory. Loki wanted to vomit. At the reception Thor and Sif sat at the high table while Odin and Frigga sat off to the side. Loki was placed with a pack of nobles eager to rub elbows with members of the royal family. The brown nose brigade couldn't stop kissing his ass. And every other word out of their mouths were flowery platitudes about the new couple.

"Look at them. They are such a lovely couple, and so in love!" Lady Northman said. Loki plastered a fake smile on his face.

"Your brother will be a magnificent King. I predict their reign will be even more glorious than that of your father." Lord Northman said. Loki bit his tongue, wanting so much to make an acerbic retort.

"Oh for the love of the Norns father, you make it sound like unicorns and rainbows are going to fly out of Prince Thor's ass." Sigyn said.

"Sigyn!" Lady Northman blanched at her daughter's words. Loki burst out laughing. He looked at the young lady. She had expressive eyes that observed everything. He'd never seen her at court before, but the Northman's were aptly named because their family hailed from the far North.

"Don't tell my brother that my lady. Thor has dreamed of having unicorns in his ass since he was a small boy." Loki said, and his laughing and smiling was genuine. Sigyn's parents were too nervous to laugh. Sigyn chortled and wiped a tear of mirth from her eye.

"Lady Sigyn."

"Loki, the royal spare. You're new here. Will you be staying in the capitol long?" Loki asked.

"Just a couple of days-" Sigyn said, until her mother stomped on her foot.

"Months. She'll be in the capitol for a couple of months, visiting a cousin." Lady Northman lied. Sigyn rolled her eyes at her mother's obvious match making attempt.

"Oh? Really? I didn't know I had a cousin in the capitol. What's her name?" Sigyn asked. Her mother glared daggers at her and Loki could only smile.

"Lady Asgard…son." Lady Northman said. The made up name was so lame and comical; Loki didn't know whether to stop the woman from continuing or not.

"Really? What's she look like?" Sigyn asked her mother. Lady Northman looked ready to murder her daughter.

"Lady Sigyn…" Loki broke in, "would you like to get the fuck out of here?"

"Only if you promise to do something scandalous with me." She said.

"I swear it." Loki said. He took her by the hand and led her out of the hall, catching a momentary glare from Odin as he escaped. They ran off in the dark to the royal garden, giggling as they went.

"You are a wicked thing my lady. I almost felt sorry for your mother."

"I felt sorry for you. Everyone around you kissing your ass to try to use you. How do you stand it?"

"With cruelty and acerbic wit. I'm not the patron god of Chaos and Lies for nothing."

"Mmm…lie to me then. The most fantastic lie anyone has ever heard."

"I hate you." Loki said. Sigyn laughed.

"I hate you too. Care to have a hate fuck in the rose bushes?"

"Why not?" Loki said. It had been a while since the last time he'd fucked a random woman, and he actually liked this one. It was quick and dirty and entailed far more laughing than was typical for sex with a new acquaintance. They didn't even bother removing their cloths. A few trouser buttons and a lifted skirt was all the effort they made. Loki came hard as he pretended he was fucking Thor up the ass.

"Mmm, thank you for that." Loki said.

"Thank you too my prince. So, you want to go back to the wedding and have more people kiss your ass, or would you like to do something naughty?"

"What did you have in mind?" Loki asked.

"Take me to the honeymoon suite."

"Why?" Loki asked. Sigyn reached over and grabbed a handful of skunk blossoms. They were beautiful pink flowers with a lovely light scent, until they were cut. Within an hour of being plucked the flowers would smell of rotting meat and attract every fly within a mile.

"My lady, I think I love you."

XxXxXxXxXx

"It's almost time husband." Sif said, practically giddy with excitement. She was acting like a kid waiting in line to ride a rollercoaster. She kept touching Thor, smiling and saying seductive things. Thor played his part as well as he could. He said the things he knew he should say to make it look like he was interested. Loki would applaud his skills in deceit, if he were around to see them.

"I am very happy for you both. I was beginning to wonder if it would ever happen." Fandral said with a cheerful smile.

"I was hesitant to be tied down until I was ready." Thor lied.

"I'm ready. I'm ready now." Sif said. Thor knew he needed to get this over with, and besides he needed to get used to having sex with Sif. The sooner he figured out how to get aroused with her the easier time he would have faking his marriage. Shagging Sif on a regular basis was now a part of his life, and the last thing he needed was her complaining about his lack of enthusiasm. It would make her suspicious and he did not need his new wife constantly spying on him. In short, he needed to fuck her brains out. Thor stood up and the loud noise in the room died down in seconds.

"The time has come for my new wife and I to bid you all good night!" Thor said with the false joy and happiness he knew he needed to display. Cat calls rang out from around the room. His eyes scanned the room for Loki, but he did not see him. He should have been happy about that he supposed. He didn't have to see the hurt in his brother's eyes as he went off to fuck someone else. Still, his absence felt like a rejection and Thor could only wonder how hurt Loki was by all this. He looked back at Sif and smiled, though inside his heart screamed.

They left the hall and their guests to feast and dance the night away, while they made their way to the honeymoon suite. Thor thought of Loki the entire way. Loki's hair, his eyes, that sweet firm ass. That big dick that was, he hated to admit, bigger than his own. Slightly. Thor's was thicker, he was sure. Loki moaning. Loki screaming, "Yes Thor yes!" Loki on his knees as he…

"Thor? Are you going to open the door?" Sif asked.

"Oh yes, sorry I was lost in thought." Thor said and gave Sif a lecherous smile. He opened the double doors to their wedding suite. It was majestic and luxurious and reeked of rotting flesh. Their hands flew up to their noses to block the awful odor.

"Norns in Helheim! What is that smell?" Sif asked.

"Skunk blossoms." Thor said when he spied the pink flowers on the bed. "One of the servants must not have known their what they were and decorated our room with them." Thor said. They both heard giggling then from behind a nearby pillar. They looked over and saw Loki and Sigyn making their getaway.

"I'm going to kill your brother Thor."

"Who's the woman with him?" Thor asked. He'd never seen her before and the way they leaned on each other and laughed as they ran away made him insecure like he had never felt before.

"Who cares? Thor! Our honeymoon suite smells like a dead animal! Do something!"

"Um, we could go to my private quarters instead."

"Your quarters stink of bilgesnipe sweat."

"That's not bilgesnipe, that's all me." Thor said with a big grin.

"Thor, this is not funny!" Sif was getting more pissed off with each passing second. The more she scowled the more mirthful Thor felt, and finally he could no longer suppress a laugh. Sif punched him in the arm.

"Alright. Alright. We'll go to one of the guest suites." Thor put up his hands in surrender.

"Thor, when our honeymoon is over, I'm going to get revenge on that brother of yours."


	4. Chapter 4

Thor watched as Loki laughed again for the sixteenth time that night. He'd been keeping count. He was on the dancefloor with that woman again. It was the third night of his week-long wedding celebration. Loki's scheme to make Thor jealous was definitely working.

"Still angry about the skunk blossoms husband? Or has Loki done something new to acquire your wrath?" Sif asked.

"What?"

"You've been glaring daggers at Loki all night."

"Oh, aye. I am working out how to punish him for his jokes." Thor said. He wasn't lying. Not really. He wanted to grab Loki by the shoulders and shake him.

"Well, when you formulate a plan, let me know. I want in." Sif said. Loki laughed again, rolling, mirthful, joyful, and sincere.

"Excuse me." Thor said. He got up and mingled with some of his guests, but his target was Loki. Taking his time so as not to draw attention, he finally made his way to his brother and his new paramour.

"Brother! Enjoying the festivities?" Thor asked with a subtle edge to his voice that he knew Loki would notice.

"I am. I have made a new friend. Thor this is the Lady Sigyn."

"How do you do, my prince." She said.

"Pleasure to meet you my lady." Thor said to be polite.

"Thank you. I am enjoying my time here in the palace and these celebrations."

"Yes, I think I saw you the other night when you were running away in the dark." Thor said.

"Oh? Was the potpourri not to your liking?" She asked.

"Nay, I dare say it killed the mood." Thor said.

"What a shame." Loki said, and then looked at Sigyn and smiled. "You know Sigyn, I haven't introduced you to the Warriors Three. I'm curious to know your opinion of them." Loki said.

"If they are anything like you my prince, then I will enjoy their company a great deal." Sigyn said.

"They are nothing like me." Loki said.

"Oh, well then I shall have to hatch a plot to embarrass them for our amusement."

"I like her. She's as duplicitous and underhanded as I am." Loki said.

"I'm happy for you." Thor said in a dark tone, and turned away.

"He knows how to hold a grudge doesn't he?" Sigyn asked.

"You have no idea." Loki said. He knew he and Thor would have words later. No doubt Thor thought Loki was hanging out with Sigyn on purpose to make him jealous. But he was not lying when he said he liked her. She shared his sense of mischief, a rare trait in Asgard.

XxXxXxXx

By the end of the wedding week, Sigyn was firmly a member of Loki's inner circle and his new best friend. Never before had he met another personality that he clicked with so well. Sigyn stayed on in the capitol, taking up a semi-permanent residence in one of the palace's many guest rooms. During all the celebrations, Thor had not had the opportunity to speak with Loki alone. His anger was starting to show.

It would rain briefly here and there for a minute or two when Thor lost control of his emotions. People would look to him, wondering why he wasn't controlling the weather as he should and the storm would disappear as quickly as it had formed. People began to notice how Thor's smiles did not reach his eyes and rumors began that all was not as well in his marriage as he pretended. Everyone wondered why.

Loki knew his brother wished to speak to him, but he too had trouble finding time to be alone. When he wasn't performing his duties, he had a guest demanding his attention. He was grateful for the distraction in truth. Sigyn was keeping his mind off of his brother and who he was fucking. And knowing that he was making his brother jealous was gratifying. It let Loki know that Thor still cared.

There was a break in his schedule today. The men he was supposed to train had been called away for a patrol duty in a southern forest. There was an uptick in highway robberies from the thieves in the area. Loki ran towards the war room. If he was right, Thor would be just getting out of the morning council meeting and they would have a few minutes to speak.

"Loki." Frigga called to her son as he rounded the corner. Damn.

"Yes mother?" Loki asked.

"Do you have a moment? We haven't spoken in a while." She said. Loki cursed his fortunes internally but nodded and followed his mother to her parlor. A servant brought tea and Loki suppressed an exasperated sigh.

"What can I do for you?" Loki asked.

"Do for me? Nothing. I merely desired your company." Frigga said.

"And people wonder where my duplicitous nature comes from." Loki said. Frigga gave her son a coy smile.

"Your new lady friend is very lovely. She comes from a good family too. You've been spending a lot of time with her lately."

"The Lady Signy is a wonderful friend." Loki said.

"Only a friend? My spies tell me you and she have a relationship that is more intimate than that."

"Mother, what is it you want to know?"

"You're happy with her. Happy like no other time I have ever seen you happy, except when you are with Thor. Her reputation is somewhat to be desired, but for you, she looks to be a good fit. What are your intensions towards her?" Frigga asked.

Loki considered for a moment. He knew it was only a matter of time before his parents looked to marry him off now that Thor had been addressed. He could either marry a maiden of his own selection or let his parents do the choosing for him.

"I think a formal courtship offer will be forthcoming."

"Oh Loki! Really? Oh my boy! I am so happy for you!"

"I said courtship, not marriage. Norns mother, you act as if I have already proposed." Loki said, but it didn't stop Frigga from giving him a great big hug.

"Oh wait until the ladies at court hear about this. I can't wait to see the look on Lady Svenson's face. The evil bitch has been accusing you of being ergi for years." Frigga said. Loki's face fell for a moment, but he recovered.

"I'll be sure to give her a special seat at our wedding." Loki said.

"And she'll deserve whatever maniacal thing you have planned for her. Oh Loki, I'm so happy!" Frigga took off to the gardens to find her friends and boast about the new development. The tea in his teacup was still steaming hot.

"I think that was a record." He said to himself.

XxXxXxXx

It was the middle of the night when Thor landed on Loki's balcony. He crept into Loki's bedroom and sat on the bed watching him sleep. Again, it began to rain.

"Loki." Thor placed a hand on his chest and gently shook his lover.

"Thor?"

"I've missed you." Thor looked about to cry.

"What's wrong?"

"I can't do this."

"What happened?"

"Sif wanted to have sex. I couldn't. I thought of you. I've been thinking about you every time but it didn't work this time. Sif, she's confused and furious and embarrassed. It's been less than three moons into my marriage and already she has figured out that I do not desire her."

"She would have figured that out ages ago if she'd once taken the hint."

"Do you love her?" Thor asked. Lightning streaked the sky outside.

"Who? Sif?"

"Do not play games with me! You know who I am talking about! That golden haired harlot! Do you love her?"

"Is your faith in me so easily tested? Have you heard me complain once at all since the wedding? Like you I am resigned to my fate. I know that I too must take a wife. Unlike you I'd like it to be someone I enjoy spending my time with. Sigyn is my friend Thor. She makes me laugh."

"Have you fucked her yet?"

"Yes, of course. It is no different than any other time I have fucked a woman for the sake of gossip."

"Bullshit! It is different Loki. This time, with her. I see the way you look at her."

"Oh, so because I am trying to find a woman who would be tolerable to marry, you accuse me of infidelity. How do you think I felt when you stood on the dais making your vows to Sif while I looked on? I am suffering too Thor. I love you. I ache for you. And though I have sated myself with Sigyn, I am still bereft of the deeper connection that only you and I share. Do not make the mistake of thinking that what I am doing is any different than what you are doing."

"I am not sated." Thor said. His eyes raked over Loki's form. It had been too long.

"I want your dick in me. Now." Loki said. The men stripped down fast. Loki got on his hands and knees to expedite the breach. Thor grabbed the oil out of the usual place and after a too quick preparation, slid his cock home. Both of them groaned in relief.

"My Loki. Mine. Uh…"

"Yes. My Thor. Oh love. I need your dick. Harder. Ah!" Loki had tears in his eyes from the bittersweet lovemaking. Thor grunted, primal and needful.

"I love you. I love you. My Loki…my Loki…" The pace was brutal and punishing. Thor was claiming him, Loki knew and he was more than fine with that. Loki came first, staining his sheets with the little white puddle. Thor was not far behind. Afterward, they rolled together into a mass of limbs and tongues, laving salty skin with teasing teeth. Finally, when their passion was all used up, Thor rose and got dressed.

"Sif will no doubt suspect that I have been with another woman. After my failure earlier she'll guess that I am either in love with someone else or a lustful philanderer."

"She'll be watching then. Heimdall too I'm sure. Her brother will tell her all of our secrets." Loki said.

"He obviously doesn't know this one, or he would have told her before the wedding."

"True, but you and I will have to be extremely careful from now on. Occasional hunting trips might be all we get." Loki said.

"Once or twice a year. If we are lucky. How are we to keep the flame alive?" Thor asked.

"The flame is eternal."


	5. Chapter 5

There was rain in Asgard. Try as he might Thor could not contain the speculation about his marriage. People could tell he was unhappy. They were both unhappy. Sif's smile was gone, replaced by a distrustful and accusing glare. At first Thor thought to keep her suspicions at bay by always keeping to their bedchambers after dinner. She would try to seduce him, and even when she succeeded she found Thor's efforts lacking. There was no enthusiasm. Strangely, the rain storms seemed to follow Loki's laughter. For when he was happiest, the downpour came. No one knew what it meant. Most did not notice the correlation.

It had been six months since the wedding and while many in Asgard were on royal baby watch, those that worked in the palace knew that not all was well in the young marriage. Still there was a joyful ray of sunshine, coming from the most unexpected pair. The servants found bright cheerfulness coming from Loki instead of Thor these days.

"Lord Bjorn wants to tear down his tenant houses so he can build new ones and charge more money. One of his tenants is an orphanage." Sigyn said.

"Well, we can't let that happen. I'll tell my father about it. He'll make sure the children are cared for." Loki said.

"How should we punish him?" Sigyn asked. She was looking fetching today. Her black dress had many stones on it that sparkled when the light hit them. And though her red lips were a little incongruous with her pallor, Loki found he liked the disharmony. She commanded attention, and his devotion.

"I'm sure you'll think of something." He said in a quiet voice. She looked at Loki, trying to get a read on him. Loki got up from his chair and rounded the coffee table to sit beside her. He was amazed to find, in spite of her lack of specific physical attributes, that he loved her.

"You're acting strange." She said.

"You have done a strange thing to me." Loki said. She arched an eyebrow but said nothing. "Marry me Sigyn." Sigyn pulled back and looked at him dumbfounded. True they were courting, but she never imagined Loki would actually propose. Perhaps because entrusting her heart to another did not come easily for her. She guarded it.

"This isn't some long cruel plot to hurt me for that comment I made at your brother's wedding is it?"

"Fuck, I love you." Loki said. He leaned over her and pressed her into the cushions of the lounge chair. He kissed her, feeling that tightness in his chest that only extreme excitement and sheer happiness could bring.

"Loki!" Sigyn gasped. Loki was not usually this physical with her. They'd rutted a couple of times in the past few months, but he was not an overtly sexual person from what she'd seen thus far. It kind of made it special when they did have sex.

Loki raked his fingers up her thigh, under the folds of her dress and between the folds of her womanhood.

"Oh!"

"Shh! Darling. Do you want the servants to hear?"

"Yes. They can watch too." She said, squeezing Loki's ass before shoving her hands inside his pants to feel the firm flesh without barriers. Loki snarled in her ear and she squeaked in surprise.

"Loki!" She giggled. She pushed Loki's pants down, exposing his butt. A few shifts and tugs later and Loki was rutting her proper. He rode her hard, bringing her to her apex quick-and then stopped.

"Ah! What? Don't stop!"

"Say yes." Loki pressed in slow and rolled his hips to tease her.

"Are you begging me to marry you?"

"I'm a prince. I don't beg." He pulled his dick out almost all the way and then pressed back in at a snail's pace.

"Fuck me, damn you!"

"Are you begging me to fuck you?" Loki asked.

"I'm a beautiful woman. I don't beg men to fuck me." She said. "Men beg me to suck their cocks. Just imagine my head bobbing in your lap." She squeezed her inner walls on his shaft to punctuate her point. Loki groaned and snapped his hips.

"Marry me."

"I don't know. I'm not sure if you really want it." She said. Loki pounded into her then, hard and fast. His fingernails dug into her hips and had she been naked he would have drawn blood.

"Ah! Loki! Loki! Yes! Yes! YEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSS!" She screamed loud enough for half the palace to hear. Loki spilled inside of her and then let the full weight of his body press onto her. He nuzzled her neck as he panted and recovered.

"Was one of those yeses for marriage?"

"Yes." Sigyn said. Loki chuckled and kissed her again.

In Odin's study, an argument waged between the King and his wife.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

A knock came at Odin's study and the King bid his son to enter.

"Yes, my son. What can I do for you?" Odin asked.

"Father, I need some advice." Thor said.

"Of course, of course. Come in and have a seat. Tell me. What troubles you?"

"I'm not sure where to begin." Thor said. He sat down on the leather sofa and wrung his hands. He wanted to tell his father he was ergi, but did not know how it would be received. He knew his father disliked ergi men and had overseen the punishment of many. Perhaps his perceptions could be swayed.

"Begin at the beginning." Odin said with a warm smile.

"Father, have you ever, had trouble…in the bedroom?" Thor asked.

"Trouble in the bedroom? You mean, being…responsive? Rising to the occasion? Yes?"

"Yes."

"No. I've never had that problem. But you can talk to one of the healers. They can cure any medical malady."

"Father, I fear the problem is not a mechanical one, but a mental one."

"Thor, Thor. Son I know you are an idealist and that you had hoped to hold out for love, but Sif is a beautiful woman. Surely your body if not your mind would respond to her? You don't hate her do you?"

"No father, I do not hate her."

"Then what is the problem? What is it about her you find so objectionable?" Odin asked. Thor hesitated. He was tired in his heart and tired in his soul. Most of all he was tired of living a lie.

"Nothing." Thor said. Odin didn't speak. He waited. Whatever it was Thor needed to tell him, he knew he could not force out of him. Thor felt his father's eye boring into him.

"Father, why do you punish the ergi men?" Thor asked. All loving and warmth left Odin's face. He drew back in his chair, his one eye scanning Thor up and down. He stood up, with his hands folded behind his back and walked to the window.

"Because they are abominations." Odin said.

"I see."

"Go see Lady Eir and ask her to give you a vial of the blue tonic from the fertility stores. She'll instruct you in its use." Odin turned and cast his eye on Thor. "You would be wise to avoid keeping any lovers Thor."


	6. Chapter 6

Sigyn sat in the solarium reading a book and drinking a cup of tea alone. The wedding was days away and she was taking what little personal time she'd been given to relax. Frigga had been overjoyed by the announcement, and a little overbearing. She found her future mother-in-law to be very intelligent, and slightly controlling. Still, despite being dragged into the dry minutia of palace life, Frigga's heart was in the right place. Sigyn noticed movement out of the corner of her eye and looked up. Sif was standing there watching her.

"Hello." Sigyn said.

"Hello." Sif said.

"If you're looking for your husband, he's out hunting with Loki."

"I'm here for you, actually." Sif said.

"Oh? What can I do for you?" Sigyn asked. She and Sif had only rarely engaged one another directly in the past several months and only when in a group setting with the royal family.

"I wanted to talk to you about your marriage to Loki." Sif said, sounding hesitant. For a warrior, she looked rather vulnerable and even a little spooked. She moved to sit on the sofa next to Sigyn, as her future sister-in-law dissected every facial muscle movement with her eyes.

"What exactly are you wanting to discuss?"

"You and Loki look very happy together." Sif said.

"We are." Sigyn said.

"Thor and I…we used to be friends once. I thought, once we shared a bed, that it would become more and that love would blossom. But it hasn't." Sif burst into tears. Sigyn wrapped her arms around her to sooth the woman. She felt awkward and didn't know why the Norns had cursed her to be the shoulder on which Sif would cry. Now she had to feign concern.

"He's disgusted by me! He hates fucking me. He has to drink fertility potion just so he can fuck me! I'm a laughing stock."

"Oh, come now! I'm sure that's not true. You're one of the most beautiful women in Asgard." Sigyn said.

"He must be in love with someone else. There can be no other explanation." Sif said.

"Has he been unfaithful?"

"I am certain he has a mistress but I can't prove it!"

"Surely your brother could spy on him."

"He has, and in all the months since our marriage Thor has never done anything untoward with anyone. He never ventures out at night. He keeps to our bedchambers. During the day he's in the palace. The only time Thor is ever alone, is in our bed chambers, where Heimdall cannot see. Which means he must be fucking her in our very marriage bed!"

"When though? You are there at night and during the day he always has someone with him."

"Heimdall said Thor doesn't go into our bedchambers during the day very often, and when he does Loki is usually with him."

"See. He's not cheating on you. There is no mistress."

"But why doesn't he want me? We used to like each other. Now I feel like our marriage bed is a battlefield, and I'm losing."

"Then retreat." Sigyn said.

"Retreat? What do you mean?"

"Stop pressuring him for sex. Look, it's obvious Thor suffers from some sort of performance issue."  
"But he never had that problem before our marriage! The palace is full of rumors about Thor's rakish exploits."

"Exactly. I've noticed that too. Thor has a habit of fucking random women at odd times, and they are usually the type that like to gossip. It's the sort of thing a man with performance problems would do. No one would suspect that our future King has an impotence problem."

"But why doesn't he just go to the healers and let them fix it!"

"It sounds like he already did. Who do you think is giving him the fertility potion? Sif, look, your husband is embarrassed. It is making his problem worse. You need to back off or he'll turn from you completely."

"But everyone is expecting me to bare him a child. Sigyn, if you become pregnant before I do, I'll be humiliated."

"Ah, I understand. I'll speak with Loki about this. We'll make sure to take our time on that particular duty."

"Thank you. Thank you for listening to me. I have felt isolated since my wedding. Frigga is nice, but Thor is her son, and I don't feel like I can talk to her about these things."

"No, I'm sure she would not be supportive of your suspicions of infidelity. When Thor and Loki get back from the hunt, sit him down and talk to him. Tell him you understand. Talk to him in the same way you did before your marriage. Be his friend. Let him come to you when he is ready. It could be that the problem is in his mind."

"In his mind? Why would Thor find sex so daunting?"

"Maybe he's not ready for children. Have you asked him?"

"No, no I haven't."

"You need to talk to him about these things."

"I have tried to talk to him."

"Were you scowling at him? Were you accusing him of infidelity?" Sigyn asked. Sif deflated. Ever since that first night when Thor couldn't get it up, she'd been angry. He'd left their chambers and had stayed out almost all night. She'd asked Heimdall where her husband had gone, but Heimdall had been looking elsewhere and had not seen. If he had been unfaithful, that was probably his one and only time. He hasn't had the opportunity since. She'd assumed he'd been out philandering. Maybe he'd just been too ashamed to face her?

"Oh Norns! This is all my fault! I've been acting like a harpy and an ice queen. Oh Thor, I'm so sorry." Sif cried again and Sigyn patted her shoulders.

"Shh, now. It's going to be alright."

"Thank you for listening to me. You've been so helpful."

"Don't let that get around. I have a reputation to protect." Sigyn said.

"You're not the common slater everyone says you are." Sif said. Sigyn frowned.

"Everyone?"

"Well, no not everyone. Just some." Sif said.

"Who?"

"Some of the ladies at court. Would you like to know their names?" Sif said smiling, as she wiped away a tear.

"Yes. Yes, I would."

 **Elsewhere in Asgard…**

"Oh! Brother!" Loki moaned. Thor's blond hair whipped violently around his head as it bobbed in Loki's lap. Thor was on a mission. He was on a mission to make Loki remember why no one could pleasure him like he could. The minute Loki came into Thor's throat, he pulled off and flipped Loki over like a rag doll. Still twitching from his climax, Thor plunged his cock into him with all his strength, bottoming out on the first stroke.

"Thor!" Loki gasped at the suddenness and force. Their entire bodies were slick and slightly sticky from sweat. Bugs flitted about in the air around them as they rutted like animals in broad daylight. Thor aimed for Loki's prostate, attacking it with his dick like it was the enemy. Loki screamed. The compounding pleasure was almost like torture. Slapping skin and primal grunts echoed off the trees and forest floor. The local residents of the woods looked on at the strange two legged beasts mating in their midst. A dry leaf, entangled in Thor's tousled hair bounced against his face in time with his thrusts. Loki's hair was likewise filled with twigs and other debris.

Thor came, roaring like a lion. His life force drained into his lover as his cock and Loki's asshole pulsed together. Thor pulled out once he softened and leered at the dripping red hole with hunger.

"Oh fuck, baby. Sit on my face." Thor panted, tugging Loki's body up. Thor fell onto his back, yanking on Loki to squat over his mouth. Thor's tongue made lurid sweeps into all of Loki's crevices, tasting their combined juices. Loki whined, feeling oversensitive and trembling.

"Enough. Enough! No more. No more brother." Loki fell over and curled up in a fetal position. The men lay there for a long time naked in the middle of the forest. After a longer than usual recovery time, they finally stirred.

"Father knows about me." Thor said.

"What? How?" Loki asked, sitting up alarmed.

"I told him, in a roundabout way. I told him I was having trouble fucking Sif and then asked him why he punishes the ergi men. He knows what I am now."

"And me?"

"He doesn't know, but he warned me not to keep any lovers."

"You tell me this NOW?"

"I didn't want to upset you before."

"Upset me? You'll get us both killed! You selfish fool."

"Death is preferable to…whatever this is. I can't continue like this Loki. I'm…I'm losing my mind. I know you're playing your part, marrying Sigyn, but it shreds my soul to see her in your arms."

"This is our life Thor. All we can do is try to make something out of it, even if only brief and infrequent. Even when you are King and our father is dead, we'll still have to keep this a secret. Our incest is a crime. And while you'll finally have the power to decriminalize ergi relations, you and I will never reap that benefit. And no, death is not preferable. Burning alive at the stake is never preferable, you idiot."

"Do you love her?" Thor asked. His eyes were filled with sorrow.

"I care about her. I…loving a woman is not the same as loving you Thor."

"You're replacing me."

"I'm making the most of my situation. You should too. You and Sif are not doing well. The two of you need to talk."

"And what would I say Loki?"

"Lie to her. Tell her whatever you can to sooth her bruised ego. She already knows you do not desire her. Make up an excuse. Something believable. Tell her you did have a love interest but she refused you and you are heart broken. She'll buy that."

"Do you enjoy fucking her?"

"It's sex Thor. Of course I enjoy it." Loki said.

"You're lying to me." Thor said.

"I just told you the truth!"

"Run away with me." Thor said.

"Thor, you can't be serious."

"I've never been more serious in my life."

"You're the future King of Asgard and I am the royal spare. We cannot run."

"You could shield Heimdall's sight so he can't see us."

"No, he'll just see the big blind spot where he cannot look. It won't work Thor."

"That's because you don't want it to."

"Don't. Don't do that." Loki said.

"Don't do what?" Thor said, his voice shrill with heartache.

"Doubt me. Don't ever doubt my love for you. Ever."


	7. Chapter 7

"Darling! Have you seen my helmet?" Loki yelled out. He was flustered. He was nervous. He was getting married.

"It's right there Loki." Sigyn gave him a look.

"Oh." Loki blushed and picked it up with trembling hands. It had been sitting on the end of the bed. Its tall long horns jetted from the base like skyscrapers.

"Now get out! I need to get dressed!" Sigyn said.

"See you later." Loki said with a smile and left. As he passed through his parlor he saw Frigga, Sif, Sigyn's mother, and Sigyn's handmaids waiting for entry. Frigga was all smiles. Her handmaids, however, all looked upset. He couldn't blame them. Those dresses were hideous, as were their hairdos. Sigyn had chosen a garish orange color and uncomely braids for them. And if the ladies thought this would be the full extent of their trials, they were wrong. Loki had brewed up a special potion just for Sigyn as a wedding gift to give to her bridesmaids later. Loki couldn't wait to see the results.

He walked down to his is parent's room where his father and brother were waiting for him. The Warrior's Three were there also, as was Sigyn's father.

"There he is! The man of the hour." Sigyn's father said. He embraced his prince with genuine joy. Never had he ever dreamed his daughter would marry so well.

"Loki, my son. Long have I worried about you. I feared you'd never find the right woman." Odin said, thrusting a cup of mead in his son's hand. Loki smiled and delighted in being in Odin's good graces, for once. While Sigyn spent the next two hours getting ready, Loki was going to spend his time laughing his ass off and getting drunk. It would only take him 15 minutes to finish getting ready.

"I am happy for you brother." Thor said with as much a genuine smile as he could fake. Loki had been forced to do the same right before Thor's wedding.

"So are we. For a while there we wondered if you were ergi!" Fandral said with a laugh. Odin, Volstagg, Hogun, and Sigyn's father all laughed too. Loki suppressed a scowl and Odin slapped his back.

"Of my two boys, you were the one I was worried about the most, but here you are, and I didn't even have to drag you to the altar." Odin said. Loki took a deep gulp of his mead and avoided looking at Thor.

"No, I dare say Lord Northman may become a grandfather sooner than nine months!" Fandral said right in front of Sigyn's father. Loki gave him a death glare.

"It's alright my prince. I am not blind to my daughter's activities. That you are doing right by her today is enough for me." He said with rosy mead cheeks.

"Indeed! Whoever thought your fecundity would exceed Thor's!" Volstagg laughed, elbowing Thor for good measure. Thor did not look amused.

"Perhaps you should grant your sons a boon my King. An incentive to whoever makes you a grandfather first." Fandral said, joking.

"You know Fandral, that is not a bad idea. I think I will. You two hear that? Whichever of your wives bares me a healthy heir first, I'll grant you a boon. How does that sound?" Odin asked.

"A boon for sex? Oh whatever shall our princes do during their free time?" Fandral asked. Another round of laughing followed.

"I dare say the poor Lady Sigyn might not survive. You bugger the woman enough." Volstagg said.

"Oh, now you are exaggerating. I do not." Loki said, feeling blood rush to his cheeks.

"You needn't be embarrassed on my account son." Lord Northman said, taking another drink.

By the time the ceremony started Loki was ready to pass out from nerves alone. He felt relieved when Sigyn finally appeared, looking like an angel in her sparkly green gown. Her head looked like it had been attacked by a red rose bush, but she looked no less lovely for it.

When she reached the dais they knelt before Frigga and took the chalice filled with wine as their wrists were bound with ribbon. When Loki spoke his vows, he beamed a bright smile. Sigyn's lips trembled as a tear escaped her right eye. In that moment he knew, he loved her too. With Thor's eyes burning into his back, Loki felt twisted up inside. He was in love with two people.

XxXxXxXx

Thor watched as his love pledged love to another. It pained him, but he knew Loki had endured this already and now it was his turn. He felt torn open inside and even worse, he couldn't show it in the least. To do so would put both of them in danger. His father was watching. His father was always watching.

After the ceremony, Thor walked with Sif and they took up their seats at their table to dine. Sif's demeanor had changed towards him in the last few days. She didn't scowl and wasn't as cold, though they still had not really spoken to one another. He wondered what had transpired while he was away to make it so.

"You look nice tonight." Thor said to her.

"You as well." Sif said. She paused and Thor looked at her, knowing she had something to say.

"I'm sorry." She said.

"I'm sorry too. We were friends once. I wish we still were."

"We could be, if you talked to me. I've been hard on you. I know it can't be easy for any man, let alone someone like you, to admit that you have difficulties of an intimate nature. I've been meaning to ask you; do you even want to have children?"

"Yes, someday."

"But not right now?"

"I…it doesn't matter if it is now or later."

"It does, if you don't want them."

"I'm the heir to the throne Sif. What I want is irrelevant."

"I never thought about how caged you are, being in your position. Still, I would like you to look upon our children as a joy and not a duty. But even the process of making them…is it me? Are you in love with someone else? Is that why it is so hard for you to…?" The words died on her tongue.

"I was, but she moved on and married another." Thor said.

"Who? I never saw you with anyone. No one did."

"Servants are often ignored." Thor lied. It was taboo for a royal to marry a servant, and though Odin had never outright banned such a match, it was an unspoken rule. The ruling class does not marry the help.

"Do you think, in time, you could ever feel for me what you felt for her?"

"No. I'm sorry Sif, but no." Thor said. Tears sprang to Sif's eyes but she nodded in understanding. She looked so hurt, and she didn't deserve it. Thor pulled her into his arms and let her cry. People gave them odd looks but then did their best to ignore them. He rubbed her back as she sobbed and massaged her scalp with his fingers, letting her cry it out.

"Once you've bore me a son, I will understand if you take a lover." Thor said.

"No, I can't do that. I know my affections are one sided, but I could never betray you so. I took vows and I meant them."

"If one day, you change your mind, I will understand. You just have to be discreet." Thor said.

"What of you? Will you take a lover?"

"No. My heart is broken." Thor said.

"Then let us be friends again." Sif said. "We have despaired for too long. Will you dance with me?" Sif asked. Thor gave her a sad smile and cupped her cheek.

"I'd like that." He said. They got up and went to the dancefloor, holding each other close. The view of them holding each other like that was a relief to all who witnessed it. Whatever trouble had been haunting their marriage, it looked to be behind them.

"Ahhh! My face!" Screamed one of Sigyn's bridesmaids. Big pimples and pustules had erupted on her cheeks and nose.

"Goodness! Did you get stung by a bee?" Asked another.

"It's happening to you too!"

"What? No!" The five women all shrieked and fled the room as their facial sores burst with green ooze. Sigyn chuckled as she lifted a cup to her lips.

"Who's the slater now?" Sigyn chuckled as she lifted her cup to her lips.

"Did my gift meet your expectations darling?" Loki asked.

"It exceeded them husband. I believe my heartfelt thanks are in order."

"Will you be on your knees thanking me?"

"Knees, hands, or any other position that please you." She said.


	8. Chapter 8

Life entered into a new normalcy for Loki and Thor. Now married, with other daily duties, their interludes dwindled down to once every couple of months, and were usually rushed and brief. Every six months or so they would manage to get away for a brother's only hunting trip. They'd learned not to speak about their lives at home. This was their special time and they needed to enjoy it when it happened. After the first couple of years, people began to wonder why neither princess was pregnant with an heir. Odin even renewed his boon to entice the couples to be more productive.

"Father is obsessed with our bedtime activities. He demands that you birth me a son this instant." Loki said in a teasing voice.

"Sif and Thor still have not conceived. I'm really worried about them." She said.

"No, they're fine. They'll conceive when they are ready." Loki said as he returned his attention to his book.

"Yes, well that would be fine if I hadn't already promised Sif we would wait until she got pregnant first. I wanted to spare her the embarrassment of beating her to it, but I'm losing patience."

"So am I. Have you drunk your potion yet this morning?" Loki asked.

"No." Sigyn gave a coy smile.

"Mmm. Then perhaps you should show me those flower petals so I can pollinate them." Loki tossed his book away and ran his hand under her skirt to molest her. Sigyn shrieked.

"Such a busy bee you are." She said.

"Buzz. Buzz." Loki said and kissed her. It was a cool spring day, and yet Loki felt hot. He'd felt uncomfortable for the last few days actually. He couldn't say why.

"Darling, you're all sweaty." Sigyn said.

"Am I?" Loki wiped away a bead of sweat from his brow.

"Are you ill?"

"Yes, I think…I think I might be starving." Loki said, looking faint.

"Starving?"

"For pussy." Loki displayed a wicked grin, making Sigyn laugh. Loki opened his trousers to release his cock.

"Not here on the sofa! I'm tired of feeling embarrassed every time the servants have to scrub the stains out!"

"Standing then!" Loki said, feeling more randy than usual. He lifted her skirt, grabbed her hips, and fucked her fast and dirty in the middle of their parlor. Any of the servants could have walked in and saw them. When they finished, Loki ripped Sigyn's panties off.

"Loki! What are you doing?"

"Easy access. No more panties the rest of the day today love." Loki kissed her ear.

"But I'm all squishy."

"Mmm, even better." Loki said. He went about his day, visiting his mother, training in the yard, fucking Sigyn. Then lunch, fucking Sigyn, more training, fucking Sigyn, fucking Sigyn, dinner, fucking Sigyn, resting, and then having her once more before falling asleep.

Loki woke up in the middle of the night with a burning need. Sigyn was snoring, a rare occurrence that usually happened only when she was exceedingly tired. Loki's cock was rock hard and it hurt. Even worse, he hungered for Thor. He wanted to fuck and be fucked. Despite having Sigyn multiple times that day, he was still not sated. It felt like there was a fire beneath his skin. He needed Thor. He needed dick!

Loki got up and went to the bathroom. As silent as he could, he rubbed one out as he imagined Thor in the forest claiming him like a wild beast. He came into the toilet, but still he was aroused. His cock had softened some, but he could tell it was a temporary reprieve. He went back to bed and spent the many hours 'til dawn trying to get his lust under control.

XxXxXxXx

Thor returned to his bedchambers after a particularly muddy training session with the soldiers. It had rained, naturally for once and not because of one of his moods. He stripped off the bulk of his clothing in the middle of his chambers and went to the bathroom to hose off the dirt.

"Ahh!"

"Shh!" Loki put his finger to his lips to hush him.

"Loki, what are you doing here?" Thor asked, shocked to see his brother naked in his bathroom.

"I had to see you. I need you."

"Not right now Loki. Sif could be back any moment." Thor said.

"Please Thor, please brother." Loki pressed his lips to Thor's golden chest and kissed the sun-warmed skin.

"Not in here. The sound carries." Thor said. They went to the side door that connected to Thor's closet. It was a massive space complete with a vanity, not that Thor used it much. Thor noted the smell coming from Loki. He couldn't say what it was exactly. It wasn't cologne. Maybe Loki was using a new shampoo? Loki reached the ottoman and bent over it, arching his ass up without pretense. Loki's ring shined with a thick viscous liquid.

"You prepared yourself."

"I'm ready if that is what you mean. Get in me." Loki said. Thor checked the two doors to the room and ensured both were locked. He grabbed a pair of rolled up socks and shoved it into Loki's mouth. Loki glared at him but did not spit it out.

"We have to be quiet." Thor said and then placed his tip at Loki's entrance. Thor expected the usual resistance but found he slid right in. Thor felt immersed in bliss. It had been too long since the last time. Thor controlled his heavy breathing to maintain the silence. He reached around to fondle Loki as his own orgasm drew near. Loki pulled the sock out of his mouth and slipped it on over his cock to catch his spend. Loki continued stroking himself as Thor grunted and spilled inside of him.

Something deep in the center of Loki's being felt the completeness his body sought and he moaned loud and long. He felt one of Thor's large hands clap over his mouth as the rustle of feet and fabric moved in the outer bedroom.

"Thor? Thor? Are you in the bath?" Sif called. Thor pulled out of Loki with utmost haste and ran from the dressing room back into the bathroom. He stood beside the tub, naked just as Sif entered.

"Ah, there you are. Your father was looking for you. The dwarves have arrived."

"I'm just cleaning up." Thor said. His face was flushed red and he was covered in sweat.

"I can see that. Go ahead and bathe. You smell like a bilgnesnipe." Sif said.

"I'll be along shortly." Thor said. Sif gave Thor a long once over, biting her lip as her gaze lingered on Thor's lower torso.

"Thor, tonight, if you are feeling up to it…I was wondering if we could try for a child?"

"Yes, yes I think so." Thor said, smiling at her. Sif's face lit up, bright and joyful before she shut the door to leave Thor in peace. Thor turned on the bathwater to the tub and ran back into the closet.

"Loki?" Thor whispered when he saw the room was empty. "Loki?" He whispered again, but his brother was gone.


	9. Chapter 9

Sigyn appeared in Sif's parlor, looking about like a frightened deer. Frigga and Sif both looked at her with concern.

"Sigyn, dear, what are you doing?" Frigga asked.

"Is my husband in here?" Sigyn asked.

"No." Sif said.

"Oh good. Hide me!" Sigyn said.

"What?" Sif asked.

"It's Loki. He wants to have sex with me every five minutes! I don't know what's come over him but my lady bits are sore! I need to rest."

"I wish I had that problem." Sif muttered.

"But didn't you say Thor had relations with you last night?" Frigga asked.

"Aye, and it was wonderful, for once. I don't know where the eagerness came from but I was glad for it. I just wish it was like that all the time." Sif said.

"Sigyn!" Loki yelled from down the hall.

"Oh no!" Sigyn said.

"Here, behind the screen." Frigga said. Sigyn darted behind it and Frigga moved a big potted plant in front of it for good measure. She rushed back to the sofa and sat next to Sif, picking up her knit work just as Loki walked in. Sif and Frigga both gawked when they saw the state Loki was in. His shirt was only half-buttoned, exposing his chest. The collar was sticking up and Loki's hair was wild and wet with sweat. But the thing most alarming about Loki's appearance was the erection tenting straight out from his pants.

"Have you seen my wife?" Loki asked. His eyes looked glazed. It would have been funny, but for the knowledge Frigga had of Loki's anatomy.

"Oh no." Frigga said, too softly for Sif or Loki to hear.

"What was that?" Loki asked.

"No. No we haven't seen her son." Frigga smiled.

"Oh, well alright then." Loki said and was gone. Sif could hold back no longer and a wave of chuckling turning into roaring laughter.

"Norns in Valhalla Sigyn! What did you do to your husband?! I would give my right arm for Thor to look that desperate for me." Sif said. Sigyn came out of her hiding place.

"Shut up! He'll hear you and come back!" Sigyn said.

"How long has he been acting like that?" Frigga asked.

"Two days." Sigyn said. Frigga got up to leave.

"Frigga, where are you going?" Sif asked.

"I have something to discuss with my husband." She said, sounding grim. Sif and Sigyn watched her as she left.

"What has gotten in to everyone lately?" Sif asked.

XxXxXxXxXx

Thor's hips undulated as he pressed heated kisses to the silky throat beneath him. Loki was not usually the one with the risky behavior. It was usually Thor that sought him out when he was in need. It felt good, knowing Loki still needed him, still desired him in spite of Sigyn. It felt like victory every time they coupled.

"I need it. I need it. I want your dick so far up in me I can taste the seed when you come." Loki said.

"Shh, love."

"Harder." Loki begged. Thor was already pounding him as hard as he dared without making the telltale slapping sounds of skin smacking skin. Thor bit his lip, feeling exhilarated by what they were doing. He and Loki had fucked four times in the last two days. Thor felt so sated that breeding Sif last night had barely registered, though she seemed to enjoy it.

Loki put his forearm in his mouth to stifle his scream when he came. Thor bit his lip. The two men cleaned up and dressed quickly, and then parted ways before anyone was the wiser. Fifteen minutes in a closet. It was enough. It had to be, at least until their next hunting trip.

Loki returned to his chambers still looking disheveled, though his erection was gone at least. He got into bed and took a nap, sleeping well until dinner time.

"Loki? Sweetheart are you alright?" Sigyn asked. Loki opened his eyes and rubbed them.

"Yes. I feel fine." He stretched and yawned as he sat up.

"Are you sure?" Sigyn asked cupping his cheek.

"Yes love, I'm fine. Better than fine actually. I feel sticky though. I'm going to bathe and then I'll join the family for dinner." Loki pecked a quick kiss on her lips. A cool breeze wafted in from the window and it felt so refreshing. He'd been so insufferably hot the last couple of days.

"Alright. I'll see you in a bit." Sigyn pecked another kiss back and then left her husband to clean up.

At dinner, Loki noticed something was off. Odin was staring at him. His mother too. Loki looked like himself again, clean faced, hair combed, and everything neat. His eyes were focused again and he seemed as though his earlier behavior had never occurred.

"Loki, are you alright son? You seemed out of sorts earlier." Frigga said. Loki blushed.

"I'm fine now. I was feeling a little under the weather, but Sigyn took good care of me." Loki said, looking at his wife and smiling. At this, Odin finally spoke.

"Yes, I was noticing how radiant your wife has been looking lately. Perhaps the healers should test her for pregnancy." Odin said.

"Oh, I don't think I am, or at least I'm not far enough along to tell… yet." Sigyn said. She winked at Loki, which he returned with a lecherous glare. Odin smiled and his body relaxed back into his seat.

"Another time then. Thor, Sif, how are you two progressing?" Odin asked.

"We are doing well, Allfather." Sif smiled and put her hand over Thor's. Thor smiled at her, feeling relieved that he'd earned an endorsement from his wife. It still didn't stop Odin from shooting Thor a subtle assessing looking.

 **A Month Later…**

Sif and Sigyn both sat down for dinner with the family. They'd both cried off that morning and skipped breakfast. Sigyn looked pale as marble and Sif looked disgusted by the smell of the food. Loki pulled out his handkerchief and blew his nose. He couldn't help it. He'd been sneezing non-stop for the last week. He'd tried every allergy potion the healers had but nothing was working.

"Sigyn darling, would you like some of the cabbage?" Loki asked as he passed the dish. Sigyn bent over and vomited on the floor. At the sight and sound of Sigyn doing so, Sif felt bile rise up in her throat as well.

"Uh! Gu…" Sif pushed away from the table and ran to the side board where she emptied her stomach into the punch bowl. Odin looked downright joyful about it.

"Haha! Two pregnant daughters! I'll bet my crown on it!" He said raising his mug of ale into the air before downing the contents. He slammed the empty mug down on the table and stood up.

"Both of you to the healers." He said. Everyone got up and made their way to the healing hall. Loki never thought of Odin as the type to prance, but he'd be damned if Odin wasn't doing exactly that. Smiling ear to ear the old patriarch acted as though he'd sired the babes himself.

"Lady Eir! My daughters are in need of your services. We need to verify two pregnancies." He said loud so that his voice would carry.

"Norns father, are you going to ring the bells yourself as well?" Loki asked.

"If it please me." He said. He wasn't the only one who was excited. Frigga looked on pins and needles also.

"Alright, the soul forge is ready. My Lady Sif, please lie on the table." Lady Eir said. Sif looked nervous but hopeful as she got in place. Golden air coalesced above her and a tiny bright light shone from within her womb.

"Is that a child?" Thor asked.

"It is my prince." Lady Eir said. Cheers erupted all around. Loki turned to Sigyn and gave her an encouraging grin.

"Your turn darling." He said. Sigyn got on the soul forge. It only took a few seconds and her results were the same. She hopped off the table right into Loki's arms and the two kissed passionately.

"Congratulations, brother." Thor said.

"You as well. We're going to be fathers."


	10. Chapter 10

"I would like some raw salmon, pickles, strawberry cream cheese, and toast please. What do you want for breakfast darling?" Loki asked. Sigyn looked at her husband like he was nuts.

"I'm the one that's supposed to have weird food cravings. What the hell are you eating?"

"What?"

"What do you mean what? You know what. Raw salmon and strawberry cream cheese?"

"It's delicious."

"It's disgusting. I'll have a diluted ginger beer and crackers please." Sigyn told the servant. "And bring an empty basin with you as well."

"Darling our child is going to starve in the womb if you keep regurgitating everything."

"Like I have any choice in the matter? The healers have given me what they can, but there is only so much they can do for a pregnant lady. It is my lot to suffer in this way. You men don't know how hard this is." Sigyn said. Loki rolled his eyes. He yawned, despite sleeping well the night before.

"I should have ordered a coffee as well. I'm exhausted." Loki said.

"Me too. The healers warned me that I would be tired these first couple of months, but I had no idea. I keep nodding off in the middle of conversations. Yesterday Lady Svenson was droning on about her hideous new dress and I fell asleep while listening to her."

"You're pregnant. You're allowed."

"Tell her that. Apparently I was snoring loudly and the other ladies laughed at her. When I woke up she was glaring at me. And her dress was this ugly shade of orange with little emeralds dotted all over it. She looked like a sparkly pile of what my breakfast looks like when I spew it up in the basin. Loki? Loki are you listening?" Sigyn asked. Loki's head had lolled back. She shoved his leg with her foot and Loki made a choked snoring sound as he awoke.

"Hum? What?"

"Very funny." She said sarcastically. Loki only looked slightly chagrined, but a little confused as well.

"What can I say? That story about that dress is even more boring when retold second hand."

"Oh! You are completely worthless in the sympathy department. I see now I'll have to join forces with Sif if I am to get the concern and attention I deserve." Sigyn said. Their breakfast arrived and she made a face as Loki piled all the items he ordered onto the toast and ate it. Her ginger beer and crackers didn't stay down long.

Sigyn and Sif were both two months pregnant now. Due to the dueling pregnancies there were all sorts of betting pools regarding their impending births. Everything from who would go first, to who would have a boy or a girl was up for wagering. Sif and Sigyn became two peas in a pod as they each complained about the changes happening to their bodies. For once Thor and Loki could share eye contact at dinner without a sexual undertone as they rolled their eyes at their wives and replied "Yes Darling" to pretty much every comment they made.

"Thooor, Loki! You two could be a _little_ less conspicuous with your eye rolls." Frigga admonished her sons one night after dinner.

"This pregnancy is killing me mother." Loki said.

"Oh please! You're not the one with back pain and swollen ankles."

"Actually mother, I've been meaning to talk to you about that. I have been having symptoms. Ever since Sigyn got pregnant I've been feeling…odd. I'm exhausted, I eat far too much, and my feet are the size of father's armada."

"Really?" Frigga asked.

"Yes. Just this morning I had an impossible time tugging my boots onto my feet." Loki said.

"Oh Loki, my sweet sweet boy! You're having sympathy pains."

"Sympathy pains?" Loki twisted his face into a look of utter disbelief.

"Yes. Who knew beneath that stiff callous exterior lay the heart of such a sweet caring man. You must really love her. Sympathy pains, while not unheard of, are very rare. Most men do not have the capacity to identify with our plight."

"Mother. You are clearly mistaken, and for the love of the Norns do not tell a soul about this!" Loki said as embarrassment consumed him.

"Of course son." Frigga said. But her face and her tone suggested that she had no intension of keeping this a secret.

"Mother! I mean it!"

"But my lady friends at court would just think it is so adorable." Frigga said.

"Absolutely not! Are you trying to destroy my warrior reputation?"

"Oh alright son. Fine. My lips are sealed." Frigga said.

"Thank you." Loki said. As the pregnancies progressed, Sigyn and Sif took to shopping for baby items, which became all the rage among the women of the realm. Getting an invitation to their knitting circle became a power game for the social climbers at court. So did becoming pregnant as every noble house wanted to have a child of similar age available to play with the royal children as they grew up and eventually became eligible to marry.

By the fourth month both Sif and Sigyn's morning sickness had subsided and both were put on bump watch. It was around this time that the skin on Loki's stomach began to itch, and he noticed that his trousers were getting tight.

"You're getting fat." Sigyn said in a light voice. Loki made a face, being the vain creature that he was. He couldn't deny it though. He'd taken to working out twice as often with the soldiers but nothing was working. He grabbed some of his wife's body oils and rubbed them into his belly and sighed in relief when the itching stopped. Determined to reverse his waistline, he went down to the sparring field where Thor was and challenged him to a fight.

"Your tunic is looking a little tight across the middle brother." Thor said with a shit eating grin.

"Sigyn has been eating a lot lately, and then she cries because she feels fat. So I eat too." Loki said. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either. He didn't know why, but lately he was hungry all the time.

The men grabbed their wooden swords and took up their stances for the duel. The match began and inside of two moves, Loki's lost his grip on his sword and fumbled it as it dropped. Thor shot him a quizzical look but waited for Loki to pick it up and start again. The second time Thor rushed him and Loki went to one of his practiced moves to dodge him. However, his center of gravity was off and he couldn't get out of the was as quickly as he used to. Thor knocked him on his ass and Loki groaned in pain.

"Loki are you alright?" Thor asked. Loki clutched his belly and that was when he noticed how hard it was. It wasn't muscle, it was something else. Loki sat there for a moment piecing together all of his symptoms and came to a frightening conclusion.

"No brother. I think something is terribly wrong." Loki said. Thor reached down, feeling panicked. He helped Loki to his feet and looked at him.

"What is it?"

"I think I have a tumor in my belly."

"What?"

"Take me to the healers."


	11. Chapter 11

Word of Loki's illness was sent to Sigyn as Thor helped his brother to the healer's wing. The page boy ran through the palace looking for her, and finding her ultimately in the company of the King and Queen.

"Your Highness. Your presence is requested in the healing hall." The boy said.

"The healing hall?"

"Yes my lady, Prince Thor is helping your husband there. He appears to be injured." He said.

"Oh no!" Sigyn got up and hurried to meet them as Odin and Frigga followed in her wake. They reached the healer's hall right as Loki got onto the soul forge.

"It'll be alright brother." Thor said.

"Loki! What happened? Thor you big blundering idiot! If you hurt him…"

"Sigyn darling, Thor did not hurt me. I think I'm very sick."

"Highness please back away from the table so I can get a clear reading." Lady Eir said. The gold shimmering light of the soul forge grew overhead. Lady Eir stood there starring at it, looking confused. Slowly, understanding washed over her face. She looked to Odin and grew pale, knowing that what she had to report would be nothing less than devastating.

"What is it Lady Eir? Is it a tumor?" Loki asked. She looked down at Loki, searching his eyes.

"Everyone who is not a member of the royal family, leave now." Lady Eir said. Several healers gathered themselves and left the room. Lady Eir walked over to the door and locked it.

"Report Lady Eir. What have you found?" Odin asked.

"My King, My Queen, first I must ask have either of you ever discussed the nature of Loki's birth with him?" She asked. Odin and Frigga looked at one another. This was the day they had dreaded and hoped to avoid.

"No." Odin said.

"Very well. Then that is where I will begin." She said.

"I will." Frigga said. She moved to sit beside Loki and looked down into her son's eyes.

"Loki my heart. Your father and I have been keeping a secret from you." Frigga said.

"What secret?" Loki sat up to look her square in the eye. Odin cut in.

"At the end of the last great war with Jotunnheim, I was in their temple. I went there to collect their source of power. The Casket of Ancient Winters. But while I was there I also found something else. I found a baby." Odin paused. Loki took a deep breath, preparing for the next words his father would speak.

"It was small for a giant, too small to be a prince and was left to die in the temple. Laufey's son."

"Laufey's son?"

"Yes. You are a prince, not of Asgard, but Jotunnheim. Their rightful heir to the throne."

"I'm Jotunn? You are telling me, that I am Jotunn." Loki said. "What's happening to me?" Loki asked as he looked down at his belly.

"Yes, Lady Eir, what bearing did this secret have on Loki's current health?" Frigga asked. Seeing the blossoming heartache in her son's eyes, it had better be a damn good reason.

"As you all know Jotunns are of the single gender. We don't know much about their anatomy. What we do know is that they do not have females. Not as we understand them at least. All Jotunns are male in appearance, but also possess female internal organs. Long have we ponder how the Jotunns manage to give birth seeing as they lack a birth canal." Lady Eir stopped.

"Yes, but what is wrong with him?" Odin asked.

"Loki is pregnant." Lady Eir said. Odin's gaze shifted to Loki and it was as if all oxygen had left the room. Loki wanted to look at Thor but didn't dare.

"What?" Sigyn asked. "How? Did I impregnate him? Did we exchange seeds?" Sigyn's mind twisted as it tried to understand that which she did not wish to accept.

"No." Odin said. "Like the Aesir, Frost Giants must be penetrated by a cock in order to be impregnated." Odin's slow steps towards the soul forge echoed in the still room. "So, who put their cock in you?" Odin's one eye glared at him with malevolence.

"I'll never tell you." Loki said. Odin's gaze bore into his. For a brief moment, Thor entered Odin's mind. But just as quickly as he appeared, Odin dismissed it. He was not ready to entertain that his sons could be so depraved as to turn towards each other.

"You will tell me!" Odin yelled.

"Odin!" Frigga tried to intervene, but Odin put a hand up to stop her.

"You cheated on me?" Sigyn's eyes were filled with tears. "You let a man fuck you? Why?" She asked, but Loki shook his head. "Explain it to me! Why would you throw away our marriage, our love! Why would you let another man defile you? And for what?"

"It's in my nature." Loki said. Sigyn ran from the room. She was humiliated and betrayed. Frigga followed her to do damage control. In all of this, Thor stood silent as the grave.

"You will tell me boy. Who was it? One of your guards? One of the servants? Who dared to sodomize a prince of Asgard?"

"It doesn't matter. What's done is done. I'll not let you torture him to death like you do to the others."

"Why son? You were doing so well. You married Sigyn. You showed genuine interest in sharing her bed."

"You knew I might feel lust towards men. Of course you knew. Being from a race that is all male in outer appearance, how could I not lust for the form most natural to me?"

"Natural. Baugh!" Odin spat. "Frost Giants are ergi disgusting creatures that will fornicate with anything that has a hole!"

"Is that how you see me?"

"Enough! You will tell me who your lover is or spend your days in the dungeons!"

"Do what you will. I will never speak his name." Loki said.

"Father…" Thor tried to interject but Odin growled at him. Thor stood there, impotent. With a wave of his hand the doors to the healing hall unlocked and a squad of Einherjar entered the room.

"Take him away. No one is to see him." Odin ordered. The guards swarmed Loki, and like a criminal he was dragged down into the bowels of the palace, crying like a babe. Thor followed his father, trying to think of the right words to say to beg his father's mercy. Odin felt his son's eyes burrowing into his back and turned.

"You and your brother think you are so cleaver. Was that what you two were doing on your hunting trips? Meeting with your lovers to fornicate in an ergi orgy in the middle of the forest?"

"No father!"

"If I ever find out who the two of you have been fucking I will skin him alive and leave him in the wind to die the slowest painful death imaginable." Odin said and left Thor alone.


	12. Chapter 12

Sigyn cried her eyes out on her bed for hours. Frigga came a couple of times to speak with her but she was in no mood to hear excuses from Loki's mother. She cried herself to sleep and awoke with a headache. Frigga was there with a glass of water waiting for her.

"Go away."

"You are in a fragile state. You should not be alone."

"Speak your peace and leave me be." Sigyn said.

"Sigyn, we do not know the circumstances under which Loki became pregnant. Please do not rush to judge him."

"Judge him? Didn't you hear him in there? He was so…so…not giving a fuck about hurting me!"

"Come now, you know him better than that." Frigga said.

"I thought I did. He broke my heart."

"I broke his heart by failing to be honest with him." Frigga said. "Odin and I have fought for years over when or if we should tell him his origins. We were torn and there were legitimate and practical concerns that we feared could not be ignored."

"Like what?"

"We don't know a lot about Jotunn anatomy. We do know that they are a race of hermaphrodites but nothing of their mating practices or birthing abilities. Loki might have been compelled to become pregnant Sigyn."

"You think he did it out of mating instinct?"

"Yes. Jotunns are all male in appearance. It would only be natural for Loki to feel sexual attraction to the male form." Frigga said.

"No wonder you and Odin did not object to my marriage. You two were positively ecstatic that Loki would willingly find love with a woman. If you knew his natural inclinations for men, why didn't you tell me? Or him for that matter?"

"You know my husband's opinion of such men. Odin wanted to prove that living among the Aesir, a Jotunn could be trained to act and desire something normal."

"But it's not normal for him! You set us up for failure!"

"Did I ever tell you how my son Baldur died?" Frigga asked.

"I wasn't aware you'd had another son."

"We do not speak of him. Odin has forbade it due to the way our eldest died. Only Asgardians of a certain age remember the prince. Thor was a newborn and does not remember him."

"How did he die?"

"During the war in Jottunheim, Odin had put in him charge of a regiment on the northern front. He'd done well and had made significant inroads to the capitol. But five miles outside of the city, his unit was captured and the men were taken prisoner." Frigga started to tear up. There was a look in her eye of bitterness, which was an alien thing Sigyn did not associate with the queen.

"What happened to them?"

"Odin fought hard to reach them and save them before they were put to death. A simple execution would have been better than what he found. The men were spoils of war you see. Handsome young men in their prime…and the Jotunns were so large."

"They were raping them."

"Most of the men died of anal trauma. Those that still lived, freely fell upon the sword rather than live with the shame. Odin found Baldur surrounded by a mass of them. He'd been dead for hours." Frigga's chin trembled and she pulled out a handkerchief to blot the tears from her cheeks.

"Why did Odin take Loki? Why would he show compassion to a Jotunn runt after such horror?"

"It wasn't compassion. Odin took Loki for a purpose. He's Laufey's first born and rightful heir to the throne. The child in your womb is too." Frigga said.

"Odin wants to wage war in my child's name?" Sigyn asked.

"Eventually, if it suits our needs. We have a rightful claim now."

"You raised Loki. You love him. I know you do. How? After what happened to your real son, how did you find it in you to love a Jotunn baby?"

"He was an innocent child. He smiled at me and when I touched him his magic responded and colored him Aesir. I was smitten. Odin made the camouflage permanent and we hid the truth from him since."

"He said what he did was in his nature. I can't help but feel he's been lying to me our entire marriage."

"Loki loves you Sigyn, of that I have no doubt. I know it is a hard thing to consider in this moment, but I want you to find it in your heart to forgive him this transgression."

"He's pregnant. What is going to be done about that?"

"That is up to Odin."

XxXxXxXx

When the walls of his cells went up Loki was left alone in the dungeon. There weren't even other prisoners around. The barriers, which were normally transparent went opaque. Loki knew it meant that Odin wanted his incarceration to be kept a secret and that set his mind analyzing.

If Odin planned to execute him he wouldn't care if all of Asgard knew he was down here. Except he probably cared about appearances and did not want the kingdom to know he was pregnant. If Odin planned to keep him alive he wouldn't want anyone, not even the guards to see his expanding belly. Loki thought of the child then. What was Odin planning to do about it?

Alone, with little hope of rescue, and the revelation that he was a Jotunn monster, Loki broke down and cried. The cell was devoid of any furniture and he could only curl up into the fetal position on the floor as he wept. He thought of Thor and wondered what his brother was doing. If Odin had figured them out? What would Odin do if he found out?

A day went by, then two and no one came down to his cell. Meals appeared and then the empty tray disappeared after a time. Loki felt himself going mad with every possible scenario his clever mind could concoct.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

A knock came at the door of Odin's office and he gave entry.

"Come in." He said. Sigyn entered and took a seat in the chair across from her king. "I was wondering when you would seek me out." Odin said.

"What are you going to do about Loki?" She asked.

"I haven't decided. For now, I'm keeping him in the dungeons until he gives birth."

"And his child?" She asked. Odin sighed.

"The child will be given over to a noble family. No one can know the truth of its birth, until it is advantageous to reveal it."

"You're not going to kill it?" She asked.

"No. The child has value." Odin said.

"You're talking about Jotunnheim." Sigyn said.

"Yes."

"And what of your designs for my child?"

"Depending on the gender, if Thor's child is a boy and yours a girl for example, they shall be betrothed to each other. If, however, you should bare Loki a son he will join Loki's child in my campaign to take the throne of Jotunnheim."

"What of Loki?"

"That depends a great deal upon you, young lady. Loki is now a liability. The truth of his origins needs to stay secret until the day war is declared. Until then, the general population cannot know Loki is Jotunn. His pregnancy cannot become public knowledge. Your marriage would have to continue on and Loki would have to control his disgusting urges."

"And if I don't want my marriage to continue?"

"Then Loki will remain where he is."

"I want to talk to him." She said. Odin nodded and excused her. He ordered the guards to lead her to his cell and only when the men were gone did the opaque barrier clear.

"Loki!" Sigyn cried out. She'd never seen her husband in such a state and for a moment she forgot the wrong he'd done her. His eyes were bloodshot from crying and his hair a sweaty tangled mess. He looked dehydrated.

"Sigyn! Sigyn darling I thought I would never see you again." They shared a tender moment, looking longingly at one another until Sigyn could no longer hold back the question burning in her mind.

"Why did you do it? Was it lust? Instinct? Or something more?" Sigyn asked. Loki wanted so much to tell her the whole truth. That he loved Thor and her in equal measure. That he felt lust and desire for them both and held both of them in his heart. But Odin was listening.

"I felt compelled. I'd been fucking you for days and no matter what I tried I could not find relief from the burning desire in my loins. I felt this need to be penetrated. Only when that happened were my symptoms alleviated." Loki said. This part at least was true, minus the glaring omission.

"Who?" She asked.

"You know I cannot tell you. You know what Odin would do to the man that did this to me. Who he is, is unimportant. He served his usefulness."

"You don't love him? Swear to me you do not love him."

"I don't love him. Sigyn, what is going to happen to me? Has my father told you?"

"He hasn't fully decided, but the baby is to be taken from you when it is born." She said. Loki nodded and tried to hold back a sob.

"Of course." Loki's jaw trembled as he said it and he burst into tears. Sigyn leaned forward, wanting so much to comfort him. "I don't want to lose it. It's my baby. I could part with it no more than you could part with yours. I can feel it inside me now. The flutters in my stomach that I thought were digestion, it's the child moving in me." Loki said as fat tears splattered on the cell floor. Sigyn considered the predicament. She thought about the hurt done to her heart and found forgiveness there. Whether or not Loki was telling the truth she did not know. She just knew she could not hold it against him to act as his nature dictated.

"Perhaps you don't have to." Sigyn said. Loki looked up at her with hopeful eyes. "You and I became pregnant at about the same time. The children will be due around the same time. As far as anyone knows, I'm carrying twins."


	13. Chapter 13

"I knew it! I knew he was ergi! I never thought he wasn't Aesir though. Poor Sigyn." Sif said as she finished knitting a baby blanket. Though she and her sister-in-law had developed a comfortable relationship, she did feel jealous of the woman for her more successful marriage. For once people would be talking about her and Loki's marriage bed instead of hers. It had been three days since the scandal broke. Or it would have been a scandal had it gone public. Odin had ordered her directly to keep her mouth shut.

"I wonder who it was?" Sif said.

"Enough. You will not speak ill of my brother." Thor said.

"Thor, I know you love Loki but you need to face facts. He let a man fuck him up the ass. And he's not even really your brother anyway."

"That does not mean I love him any less so you will cease your insults or I will silence you myself." Thor said. Never before had he threatened her with violence. Never. With her ever swelling belly she felt astonished. Her jaw made an audible clicking sound when she snapped her lips together. The rain came down harder and the thunder rolled outside.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be cruel." She said, but Thor wasn't listening to her. Loki was carrying their child in his belly. He had to protect them, but he didn't know how. He contemplated a daring rescue and fleeing Asgard. He, Loki, and their child could build a life far from Asgard.

"Ah. Finished. What do you think?" Sif asked as she held up the blue baby blanket.

"It looks nice." Thor said with a faint smile. Like Loki, she too carried his child. And did that child not also deserved to be raised by a loving father? His heart ached from being split in so many directions. His father refused to speak with him regarding Loki and he had not been given any news as to Loki's fate. His fear for his brother's wellbeing was reaching fever pitch. A knock came at their door.

"Enter." Thor answered. Sigyn walked in. When Thor saw the smile on her face Thor nearly leapt out of his skin with relief. It was a happy smile.

"I have news of Loki." Sigyn said as she sat down next to Sif on the sofa. Thor stopped breathing.

"I have spoken with him and with Odin. It has been decided that Loki will go away for a while. There is a convent in the south where young ladies of a particular condition go to hide their illegitimate births. Lady Eir is to follow him a few weeks after and remain with him until the child is born. As I approach my time of birth I will be put on bed rest and will not leave my chambers. Once both babies are born, Loki will return under the cover of darkness. The public will be told that I have birthed twins.

"And Loki?"

"Loki will be welcomed back into the fold. He has assured me that the incident that caused his pregnancy was a one off. A result of breeding instinct and nothing more. I have forgiven him." She said.

"Thank you Sigyn. I know my father would not have been so lenient without your approval. Will you love the child though it is not your own?" Thor asked.

"I will try." She said. "I can only hope the child does not look too much like its father, whoever he is. People need to believe the child is mine. I need to believe it too." She said.

"Then we shall all do our best to make the child feel that as well. It will never want for affection Sigyn, and if ever you feel like you cannot connect to the babe tell us. We will shower it with love so that it does not notice your distancing from it. Isn't that right Sif?" Thor asked.

"Yes, of course." Sif said with a smile.

XxXxXxXxXx

It was the middle of the night when Frigga came and let Loki out of his cell. She took him to his chambers where Sigyn was waiting for him with open arms.

"I'll give you both your privacy. You'll have an hour to get ready. The carriage will be waiting." Frigga said and shut the door. Loki and Sigyn embraced and shared a kiss that was all lips.

"You smell terrible." She said. "And you have cat breath."

"The dungeons are not known for their shower facilities." Loki said.

"Come on. Into the bath." She said. Loki took off his clothes. The same ones he'd been wearing when he was tossed into the cell. In the three days he'd been gone, Loki's belly had popped. Where before she had thought it was merely weight gain, she now saw the defined roundness of his form. It still had a way to go, but Loki had clearly reached the point where loose tunics could only hide so much. Sigyn noticed that Loki was a little wobbly, a feeling she understood all too well. She helped him step into the tub which was filled with scented water.

"Oh. Oh that feels so good." Loki said.

"I'm going to finish packing your things." She said.

"I'm sorry I won't be here for you during your pregnancy." Loki said.

"I'm sorry you have to be alone. We'll get through this." She said.

"What are the people being told about my absence?" Loki asked.

"You're being sent on a diplomatic mission to Svartleheim to prevent a war."

"I am to be painted a hero then?"

"Yes." She said as she placed a folded tunic into a case. She grabbed a pair of pants, stopping to sniff them before packing them as well. She wanted to cry, but knew the tears would only make this wretched situation worse.

After lounging in the hot water for a few minutes Loki scrubbed down and got out. Loki came out of the bath with a towel around his waist and saw his wife trying to hide her sorrow.

"Forgive me, for breaking your heart."

"I already have." She said, wiping her face with her sleeve. "I am going to miss you so damn much." She went to him, hugging him despite the dampness of his skin and hair. He petted her hair.

"I will return and we will be happy. You will see." Loki said. He thought of Thor then and it was his turn to hide his emotions. They hadn't been given the opportunity to speak, and given their situation it would have been dangerous to do so. Odin was watching.

Their time ran out all too quickly and Frigga returned. She ushered him to an awaiting carriage where he was loaded in and sent off. The hidden shame of the royal family. The trip was long and bumpy. By dawn they arrived at the convent. Loki donned his hooded cloak to hide his face. He didn't dare look up to see who the driver was of his transport, and Frigga would've hand selected the man anyway.

There was a single woman, the head nun standing there ready to greet him. Her old withered face held judging eyes. Loki felt sorry for every poor young woman that had been required to utilize her particular services.

"While you are here, you shall be called Lopt. Only I know who you are. During your entire time here you are commanded to remain in your quarters and your only servant will be a blind woman named Thrud. Only she will bring your meals and clean your rooms. Only she may enter. Lady Eir will be joining us here at the convent, I am told, in the coming weeks. Until then, pray you do not have any health problems. The Allfather made it plain that secrecy supersedes all other things." She said.

"My child supersedes all other things. My father's orders be damned. I'm am the imminent threat. Do not forget that." Loki said. It felt good to threaten someone and take back control, even if only by a small measure. The nun snorted and turned to lead him to his chambers. The hallways of the convent were narrow and the stairs were steep. He was taken to a tower. Of course. Once at the top, the nun pulled out a large heavy metal key and opened the door for him. The room was small and plain compared to his quarters in the palace. However, the intricate bedspread, handcrafted furnishings and floor rug were of high quality. This was a room meant for the daughter of a nobleman. He stepped inside and felt the door slam shut behind him.

"I was better off in the dungeons." Loki said. At least he could have had visitors.


	14. Chapter 14

It had been seven months since Loki's departure. Thor kept himself distracted as best he could, like always. Sif's belly swelled. Sigyn's too. Everyone was atwitter about the impending births. For once, Sif seemed disinterested in sex and that was fine with Thor. Until it wasn't. His interludes with Loki were sparse to begin with and now nonexistent. His need flared at the most inopportune time.

He was in the sparring ring putting the young men through their paces. One man in particular stood out among the others. Mostly because, like Loki, he had black hair. His eyes weren't green like Loki's but blue and he wasn't nearly as lean. But the angular features in his face were very similar and very pleasing. When Thor saw him it took his breath away. It also made his cock hard.

"That's enough for today. Fandral, would you finish up with the remaining recruits?"

"Yes my prince." He said. Thor took off for the showers as his cock tented uncomfortably in his leathers. He slammed the door to his personal bathing chambers shut behind him and turned on the water. He came within a couple of minutes. It wasn't enough. Not this time. He still felt the need, the hunger, the lust. He did something desperate. He left his bathing chambers, fully nude, under the guise of needing to fetch a towel. He walked through the common shower area where all the other men were and looked for one whose gaze lingered upon him a little too long. He saw one, a blonde man who turned away from him the moment their eyes met. He recognized in the man the practiced mask of secret desires. If you asked him to specify what it was that confirmed his suspicions he could not say. Was it the way the man carried himself or the movement of his wrists? Or perhaps it was a combination of subtle things that only another closeted ergi would recognize. Like Thor, the need exuded from his very being and perfumed the air. Thor walked to the supply room and grabbed a towel. He waited for a moment. Most of the men were finishing up their ablutions, but his soldier lingered under the water. When he was the last man in the common area, Thor emerged. The soldier shut off the water and reached for his own towel to wrap around his waist.

"You, come with me." Thor said. The soldier made a nervous swallow. Thor knew why. The crowned prince had figured him out and he was about to die. Thor shut and locked the door to his shower chambers behind them.

"How may I serve you my prince?"

"By fucking me in the ass." Thor said.

"My prince? I am not ergi." The man looked down terrified. He obviously thought Thor was testing him. Thor didn't have time for this. He grabbed a dry washcloth and shoved it into the man's mouth. The man looked wide eyed and terrified, until Thor yanked off the man's towel and dropped to his knees before him. Thor's lips engulfed his shaft and the man moaned loud through the cloth. Thor stopped.

"If you do not wish to be put to death you will not utter a sound." Thor said in his most menacing voice. Thor continued his ministrations. Finally, finally his need was sated. He was touching and being touched. He thought of Loki, pretended in his head it was Loki. That he and his beloved were here and free to fuck as they pleased without fear. The cock felt heavy and full in his mouth. How he had missed this. The soldier's face screwed up as his orgasm drew near. Thor's head bobbed violently as he sucked and swallowed. His wet golden hair slapped against his forehead and neck. The soldier gave a stifled moan and Thor tasted the salty seed that sprayed his mouth. He wiped his mouth with the back of his forearm as he stood, towering over the man.

"You're too soft to fuck me now. Turn around and bend over." Thor ordered. The soldier did, eagerly and spread his legs wide, presenting himself to his prince. Thor gazed on that red furled muscle, so tight and virginal.

"Have you ever been fucked here boy?" Thor asked.

"No my prince. I have dreamed of this. My name is…"

"Do not tell me your name. For your own safety, I must not know it." Thor said. The soldier nodded, understanding. Thor grabbed the bath oils from the ledge and used it to lubricate his passage. He couldn't spend as much time as he needed to prepare him and his ministrations were shallow and quick.

"This will hurt a little at first. Try to stay relaxed." He said. Thor pressed in slow and the man bit into the rag to muffle his yelps. He gave him what time he could to adjust to his massive girth and then set a brutal pace. He closed his eyes of thought of Loki, biting his lip to keep from crying out his brother's name. He snapped his hips and pressed in deep when he shot his load. He pulled out of the man and hopped into the shower to clean himself, letting the soldier do the same for his undercarriage.

Thor checked the hallway outside and gave the man the signal when it was safe to leave. He exited his bathing chambers a few minutes later. Sigyn and Sif both looked due to give birth any day now. It filled Thor's heart with joy. Loki would be home soon.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

Loki looked out of his only window at the tower to a bird that was singing a cheerful song. He longed to grow wings and fly away himself. If only he could.

"It won't be long now my prince. A few more weeks and you can return home." Lady Eir said. She was his new bunkmate. He was at the point in his pregnancy where he could give birth at any time. On the one hand, he was grateful for the company. Those first few weeks alone, Loki thought he might go mad with melancholy. He seldom thought of Sigyn, except when thinking of her pregnant state. The more his belly swelled the more he longed for Thor. He wished he had something of his to sniff. He missed his smell.

He'd been having nightmares lately. He wanted to confide in someone, but he didn't dare tell Lady Eir a thing. They were often about Thor. Thor being dead. Thor being tortured. Thor falling in love with someone else. And then there were the dreams about the baby being disfigured in some way. He knew Odin still wanted to know who fathered the babe, and no doubt the healter been asked to spy on him.

The child shifted in his belly and lodged her foot in his ribcage. It was a girl child. He was sure of it. Despite the pains of pregnancy Loki felt a serenity he'd never felt before when he felt his child move. He felt connected to this child like he'd never felt with any other person. She was precious to him.

A knock came at the door. It was Thrud bringing the noontime meal. She was a young pretty thing who'd lived in the convent since birth. Loki looked at her and saw a resemblance to Lord Bjornson. His whole family had a very distinctive nose. He'd figured out early on that she was the daughter of his mistress. Normally noble children were given over to another noble family and raised as a page. But Thrud's blindness was most likely caused by an abortion drug and so her very presence was a reminder of the sins of the ruling class. She seemed happy though, with her lot in the world. She knew every square inch of the convent by heart and walked the halls with the confidence of a sighted person. She placed the food tray on the table.

"Thank you Thrud." Loki said.

"You're welcome my prince." She said. Lady Eir sat up alarmed.

"You've addressed him by his title more than once in my presence madam. The fault is yours. Do not worry. Keeping secrets is part and parcel of what I do here. I know the sins of almost every noble house in Asgard." She said. "You are very sad today my prince."

"How did you know that? I haven't even spoken."

"You always stand by the window when you are sad." She said.

"Oh? I hadn't realized."

"You're going to give birth soon. This week I think." She said.

"You cheeky girl! Enough! I am a master healer and even I don't know when his highness will come to term."

"Master you may be, but I've been doing this longer than you. Three days. I'd bet money on it."

XxXxXxXx

"Push Sif." Thor said as he held her hand. Lady Eir's second in command, Martha was heading the birthing team. Frigga was busy pressing a cool damp cloth to Sif's brow as Odin awaited news in the throne room. She screamed in her efforts, feeling the mass move within her.

"I see the head." Martha said.

"A couple more pushes Sif." Frigga said. Sif took a deep breath, screwing up her face as she bared down. She felt the head pop out and with another push the shoulders and everything else went also.

"It's a boy!" The healer said.

"Is the child intact?" Frigga asked.

"Ten fingers and ten toes Majesty."

"Look at that dark brown hair! He looks just like you Sif." Frigga said.

"A boy. It's a boy." Thor smiled. He kissed his wife feeling gratitude wash over him. The healers worked to clean up the baby and then placed the crying child on his mother's chest.

"Oh my goodness. He's so perfect." Sif gushed as she inspected the little prince.

"He has my eyes." Thor said. It was true. The boy's eyes were so blue.

"What are you going to name him?" Frigga asked.

"Vali. Vali Thorson. My boy." Thor said with pride.

"It's a beautiful name." Frigga said.

"Hello Vali. I'm your momma." Sif said with tears of joy.

"My Prince, why don't you take the child to the King for inspection? I still need to help your wife with the afterbirth." The healer said.

"I'll stay with her son." Frigga said. Sif handed her son to her husband and Thor felt fear run up his spine. He was so small and fragile. Thor feared he'd break him, or drop him.

"You'll do fine son." Frigga said with a smile, laughing at her warrior son. Thor was careful in his movements as he walked towards the throne room. Servants and guards alike all got down on bended knee to show reverence to the newborn prince.

"Tis a boy! My son!" Thor bellowed for all to hear. His yell startled the baby and it cried and Thor stopped to soothe the child with a softer tone.

"Shh, little one. You are safe with your Papa." Thor said. As he entered the throne room and gazed upon his father, he felt a mixture of betrayal and despair. Surely his father had felt the same when he was born. Was his prejudice so powerful as to override the love he felt for him? The same love Thor now felt for his own son? Odin smiled when he saw the baby, and for a moment he looked like a proud grandpa, sweet and harmless. Thor placed Vali in his arms and Odin made cooing noises at the baby.

"You have made me proud this day my son." Odin said to Thor.

"Thank you father." Thor said.

"You see now, the benefits of marriage? The fruits of a woman's womb?"

"Aye." Thor said, not without bitterness. He watched his father dote on his son and anger swelled in his heart.

"Am I so shameful to you?" Thor asked. Odin's smile disappeared and he looked up at him.

"Not so long as you behave yourself."

"What if I don't want to behave myself anymore?" Thor challenged him. Odin smiled again and this time it was sinister.

"I've made a new addition to my wall outside. Go have a look." Odin said. Thor's stomach dropped. Just beyond the throne room was the yard where prisoners were taken to be punished. He went to the balcony and saw what was out there. On a spear atop the wall was the severed head of the soldier he fucked.


	15. Chapter 15

**So originally this was supposed to have a tragic ending, but I finally figured out a way to have kinda a happy ending. Considering all the angst I think our heroes have earned one. I'm still going to jerk you all around a little more though. Okay a lot more. Fair warning. Here's a fluffy chapter.**

Two days passed and Loki's apprehension grew. Word had come from the palace that Sif had given birth to a son, and that Sigyn was still waiting. In truth Loki hoped that he went into labor first so that Lady Eir could rush back to the palace and help his wife with hers. He was about to become both a mother and a father. In the middle of the night of the third day, Loki awoke not to pain, but to pleasure. He moaned so loud that it roused Lady Eir.

Loki sat up. It was the strangest orgasm he'd ever felt. His cock was soft and the pleasure was radiating from his belly button. Loki saw a dribble of fluid leaking there and he realized then where the baby was meant to come out. He and Lady Eir had likewise assumed that it would come out the same way the seed had gone in. This revelation was very welcomed.

"It's so hot in here." Loki said. Lady Eir squeaked in shock. "What?"

"You're turning blue." She said. Odin's enchantment was failing. He gazed down at his cerulean hand, but it was dark and the fire light provided poor illumination. Loki was glad of it.

"Oooh! Oh Norns it feels so good!" Loki moaned again and on instinct got on all fours on the bed. His eyes rolled into the back of his head as his stomach muscles contracted back to make the opening larger. More pinkish clear fluid spilled out. Lady Eir scrambled to get towels and placed them beneath Loki. After that, she stood there unsure of what she should do. With her limited knowledge of Jotunn anatomy she was relegated to an observing role.

Loki continued to make undignified moans of pleasure as his labor progressed. What also progressed was the chill in the room as ice formed on and around the bed. Lady Eir stoked the fire to keep from getting frostbite.

"Oh! Oh! Ooooooooohhhhh!" Loki felt the most intense shock of electric erotic stimulation yet. With that he took a deep breath and pushed out his child from his body. Loki looked down and immediately knew something was wrong. His child was split in half.

She was half Jotunn and half Aesir in lineage and this genetic fact was displayed quite literally in her very skin. Lady Eir tried to pick her up to clean her but Loki hissed at her, baring his needle sharp pointy teeth. He picked her up and held her to his chest and inspected her. On one side she had beautiful golden hair and a bright blue eye. She was Thor's daughter. And on the other side she had black hair and a red eye with her blue skin. His daughter. Their daughter. Loki felt alarm then. Would his child with Sigyn look the same as well? He was pulled from his musings by the feel of small hungry lips probing his breast. The babe latched on and looked up at him.

"You're perfect." Loki said to her.

"Your name is Hela, for you have brought light to my life." Loki looked within to find that magic that had concealed his true nature for so long and pulled it back out. His skin color changed and the magic bled into his child, coloring the shameful half of her that was not acceptable.

XxXxXxXx

Sigyn looked out the window as the sun rose. She was so ready to be done with this pregnancy. She wanted the baby out and she wanted her husband back. She also wanted to not be alone anymore. She'd been on bedrest and the healer watching her had been told she was carrying twins by Lady Eir before leaving. The sky was still purple with the waning twilight and the fading nighttime stars. Just as the sun crested the mountain range, a carriage pulled up in front of the palace.

Munnin, one of Odin's ravens flew down and landed on the ledge next to her and squawked. She looked down again and saw Frigga approaching the carriage. Dressed in a hooded cloak to hide herself, Sigyn still recognized the Queen from above. Her heart leapt into her throat. Her husband was home.

She ran to the bathroom to pretty herself. More than ever, she was aware of the waddle of her walk. She primped and preened, and then she paced. Every couple of minutes she would rise from her seat at the sound of footsteps just outside her door, only to be disappointed. Finally, an entire hour after the carriage's arrival, there was a knock.

"Come in!" She yelled, not meaning to. Her face fell when Frigga entered.

"Where is he?"

"He's hidden away in one of the guest rooms. He and the baby both are fine. I can take you to see them now if you like?"

"The baby, is it a boy or a girl?"

"A girl. Loki has named her Hela. She has blonde hair. She also has one blue eye and one green eye. I think she will pass as yours." Frigga said.

"Take me to my husband." She said.

"Follow me." Frigga said. She walked to the back wall and pulled away a tapestry. It hid the narrow hall only used by the royal family to escape danger. They entered and Sigyn followed Frigga through a maze of hallways until they reached their destination. They emerged into a well-lit room where Loki was pacing as he breastfed his child.

"Loki!" Sigyn ran to him and threw her arms around him. It was not the tight squeeze of a hug she'd craved. The babies were getting in the way. They shared a quick peck on the lips before allowing space between them.

"You look absolutely radiant darling." He said.

"You let your hair grow out." She said. It now reached below his shoulder blades. She looked down at the baby then. "May I?" She asked.

"Yes of course. She might fuss a little. It's feeding time." He said. He unlatched the babe from his unusually soft pecs. They only looked slightly swollen from fat and milk. With a light binding they could be hidden under a tunic.

Sigyn took Hela into her arms and smiled at her. She had yellow hair, and though her eyes did not match they were still striking. With luck her own child would also have the similar coloring.

"She's beautiful Loki. How was the birth?" She asked, more than a little curious as to how the child came out.

"It was the strangest most wonderful experience of my life. I did not know that Jotunns experienced such a pleasurable childbirth."

"Pleasurable? How did she come out?"

"Through my belly button. It expanded and she was birthed within an hour. It was positively exhilarating."

"It didn't hurt?"

"No, not at all. I have missed you love. My mother is going to watch over little Hela while you are giving birth so that I may be there. With Lady Eir's return we will have a skilled hand present to assist you with the birth."

"Martha did well with Sif. Little Vali is Thor's pride and joy. I've never seen that man smile so much."

"Vali, it's a beautiful name. Have you given thought to what our child's name shall be?" Loki asked.

"Valeria if it is a girl, Aegir if it is a boy."

"Aegir, that is a good strong name." Loki said. "How is Thor…and Sif. I have missed my brother."

"I can go get him." Sigyn said.

"No, Thor and Sif are busy with their baby and it is better if fewer people know of his return anyway. Right now it is just the three of us and Odin that knows." Frigga said.

"And Lady Eir. I am glad to no longer keep her company." Loki said.

"Oh?" Frigga quirked an eyebrow.

"The woman snores." Loki said.

"So do I these days. I've woke myself more than once by the sounds of my own rumblings." Sigyn said. Loki laughed at that.

"You're pregnant. You're allowed." He said, kissing her temple.

"Well, so much for emotional blackmail. Of course I would have the luck of being the only married woman with a husband who knows exactly what pregnancy feels like."

"Yes, but that also means I know your pains. Your poor feet look like they could use a good rubbing." Loki said. Sigyn winced then. She'd been having small contractions for days.

"The baby?" Loki asked.

"Oh I am so ready to have it out. I want my body back." She said. Loki chuckled. He understood the feeling.

"You know, sex at the end of pregnancy can sometimes cause a woman to go into labor." Frigga said.

"Mother!" Loki looked positively scandalized.

"Looks like the baby is full, and napping. I'll leave you two alone." Frigga said.

XxXxXxXxXx

Sigyn let out another scream and Loki nearly fainted. His delivery hadn't been anything like this. It had been joyful and brief. This, this was horrifying and gory.

"I need to trim the opening so she does not tear when the baby comes out." Lady Eir informed the couple. Unlike Sif's birth, Sigyn's birth did not have a team of healers bustling about. It was just the couple and the one healer. In light of Hela's coloring when she came out, no one wanted to risk anyone else learning of Loki's Jotunn heritage.

"I need to sit down." Loki said.

"What? Oh no you don't! You have no excuses. You keep your ass right here." She said. Loki gave his wife a look. After 10 long hours of pushing, she was exhausted. Loki held her hand and she squeezed the hell out of it. The head eventually became visible. It was a scalp of solid black. When the girl emerged she opened up bright green eyes and screamed like a siren.

"She looks like you my prince." Lady Eir said.

"I'll go get Hela and my mother." Loki said. He took off through the secret passage to the guest room where he'd been hiding for the past four days. Once everyone was back in the birthing suite, the babies were placed side by side. Hela was a full week older, but she still had that newborn look. The babies were about the same size and though they did not look alike, the fact that each one took after another parent was adorable. No one would suspect Hela was not Sigyn's.

"My little Valeria and Hela. How I love you both." Loki said.


	16. Chapter 16

"She looks like you." Loki said of Hela.

"Your little Valeria looks like you." Thor said.

"I have missed you these many months." Loki said.

"I missed you also." Thor said. He looked so down trodden. Loki leaned in to kiss him and Thor pulled back.

"What's wrong?" Loki asked.

"It's too dangerous. He's watching." Thor said. Loki smiled. He had a new trick to show Thor.

"Our rooms are warded for privacy. Sif and Sigyn will be gone for hours with the babies. We finally have time together." He said.

"I fucked a man while you were gone. I was lonely. I was missing you. I fucked a man and father found out and he beheaded him." Thor said. Loki's anger flared. He felt betrayal at first. He wanted to cry. He wanted to scream. He wanted to punch Thor in the face. For one bright flashing moment his rage shot up in him like lightning. Then Sigyn flashed into his mind. The image of her face stilled his tongue. He knew in his heart, that he had no right to it. Loki thought of Odin then. That was where the anger belonged. The source of all their suffering. He was the one slowing choking their love to death, and he was succeeding. It took Loki a moment to recover and find the right words to say.

"Thor, if he is watching us right now then we are already damned. We might as well make love. I do not fault you for seeking comfort where you can. I am guilty of no less. I am worse actually. I have betrayed you too. Sigyn, I have given her my heart. Unlike you, I do find the female form equally pleasing to the male form. I suppose it's my nature. Each of you lacks something the other has, and Sigyn does not deserve my cruelty. Neither do you."

"You aren't even my brother. You've always had the ability to provide me an heir. In another life Loki, you would have been my wife, or consort, or whatever you would call yourself. Sif and Sigyn both were never necessary. Father has done this to us. He has crushed our spirits and caused our torment."

"There is little to be done about it now. He grows older with each passing day. Soon the throne will be yours and we will be free." Loki said.

"Will we? On the day of my coronation will we announce to the kingdom what we are and what we mean to one another? No Loki. Doing so would inspire mutiny in the ranks and in our family. Your wife would turn against you and she'd be justified. Stolen kisses and hidden intimacies is all we'll ever get."

"Then let us make the most of them." Loki said as a tear ran a track down his face. The pad of Thor's thumb ran across his cheek to wipe it away. If only such a simple act could easily wipe away the underlying heartache.

The back corner of Thor's closet had become their spot. They took their time, though it was dangerous. They needed this. They needed to preserve the bond. Simple kisses had become a rare luxury. Everything they did together was.

"I have a new trick to show you." Loki said as he panted while Thor kissed his jawline.

"Hmm?"

"I had a lot of time on my hands at the convent. Time to read spell books mother sent me."

"That's nice." Thor muttered, clearly disinterested. Loki rolled his eyes. A string of magical words tumbled from his lips and the walls of the closet all flashed green.

"What was that?" Thor asked.

"I just enchanted this room. I warded it for sound. If anyone walks in they won't see us. I could be screaming at the top of my lungs while you bulldoze my ass and they won't even know we are here." Loki said. It took Thor a moment to process what Loki had said. When the possibilities dawned on him, a damn broke inside him.

"I'm going to break you in half." Thor said.

"Promises, promises…" Loki gave a dirty chuckle. Their clothes flew off their bodies in a frantic rush of fingers and yanks. They hadn't fucked like animals since their last hunting trip, well over a year ago. Thor pushed Loki up against a shelf and lifted him off the ground. Already Thor's shaft stood proud and leaking. Loki wrapped his legs around Thor hips and let his body slide onto that gorgeous pulsing muscle.

He stole Loki's breath with heated needful kisses. He thrust with that urgent need that a lover, starved for affection, can only have. His teeth found Loki's nipples and he teased them. A little squirt went into his mouth, surprising him a first. But this heady new flavor of his long-time love only heightened his arousal. He moved on then to Loki's throat. How he wanted to suck and mark and bite. To claim this man in every single way and display him naked before all, covered by them. He wanted to scream from the mountaintop that he loved his Jotun brother.

Loki fell into a mental space where all thinking ceased. Thor's personal musk of ozone, rain, and sweat enveloped him. He felt the sweet suckling of his breast and felt his heart beat that serene rhythm of profound contentment. He did not know if Valhalla would welcome him. But if it did not he'd be happy walking the neither realm of death with Thor for eternity. Together, they would make a heaven of their own.

Thor felt Loki's cum splash against his abdomen as the man convulsed in his arms. He drove on, hips slapping hard upward, higher and higher into that amazing heat. Thor came with a roar of pent up lust, feeling relief wash over him. He felt complete.

They grabbed their damp washcloths, which they kept at the ready prior to coming into the closet. Their ablutions were quick and cursory. Neither had to worry about their wife wanting sex. Not this soon after birth. For the first time, Loki was grateful for the layout of his anatomy.

XxXxXxXxXx

Time marched on in Asgard. The three babies all grew under the watchful and delighted eye of the kingdom. The people were enamored by their new little prince Vali. He was a handsome boy and took after his father. His hair was darker, but there was no denying that he was Thor's boy. They looked like matching bookends.

The princesses were also the object of love and adoration. Hela in particular. Her golden hair and fair face were always praised. Valeria looked rather plain beside her.

"Mommy, look at me!" Valeria said as she climbed a tree. The little family was in a field of wild flowers enjoying a picnic.

"Be careful up there!" Sigyn called after her. "I swear that girl is going to break her neck one of these days." She said. Loki smiled.

"She's a little trouble maker, like her mother." He said.

"Daddy, can you fix this? The flowers won't bend." Hela pouted as she tried and failed to make a pretty crown of flowers.

"Of course darling." Loki said, looking at his child with such affection.

"Hela and Valeria will be five soon. We must think up what gifts to get them for their name day." Sigyn said.

"I want a horsey Mommy!" Hela said.

"Not this year sweetheart. You're still too young yet to have a horse of your own." Sigyn said. "Hela, go join your sister. Your Daddy and I can't talk about your presents in front of you, now can we?"

"Yes you can!"

"Go on now Hel. Your sister looks stuck on the second branch. Help her down." Loki said. The little child skipped away with a crown of daisies bouncing on her head.

"Do you think they'll ever suspect?" Sigyn asked.

"No. They remind me of Thor and me when we were younger. Polar opposites, yet drawn to one another." Loki said. He watched as Hela scaled the tree with grace and agility to retrieve her much more awkward and gangly sister. Valeria took after him a great deal, not just in looks but also in temperament. He could already see the seeds of jealousy taking root in her.

"Valeria, Mommy and Daddy want you to come down now." Hela said.

"No. I don't want to." Valeria said. There was a squirrel on the branch just above her and she delighted in watching it. It squeaked at her and scampered down the trunk of the tree, away from the children to the safety of the ground. With their momentary distraction gone, Hela persisted.

"You're just saying that because you don't know how." Hela said.

"I do too." Valeria scowled at her twin sister. She turned round on her current branch and stretched her foot down to the next one. She touched it with her toes and lowered her full weight onto it, only to hear the branch snap. She screamed and reached out to slow her fall, landing with a hard thud onto the ground below.

"Valeria!" Hela cried out. Loki and Sigyn came running. They could tell she would be alright, though her bum would hurt for a while. Valeria groaned from the sharp pain shooting up from her tailbone, but also from the mushy jagged lump pressing into her back. Whatever it was she landed on, it felt strangely soft.

"You killed it!" Hela yelled at her sister.

"I'm not dead." Valeria said, feeling very confused by her sister's statement.

"Not you, you big clumsy! You squished the squirrel!" Hela said. Indeed, Valeria had landed on the sweet woodland critter she been admiring only moments before. She sat up and found the poor thing flatten and dead.

"Valeria sweetheart are you alright?" Loki asked.

"I hurt my bum Daddy." Valeria reached up to him as tears filled her eyes. Loki scooped her up to cuddle her as Hela reached down to cuddle the squirrel.

"Hela! Drop that thing this instant!" Sigyn said.

"But I can fix him." Hela said.

"Hela darling, it is dead. There is nothing to be done." Loki said. Hela looked up at her sister with fire in her eyes.

"It's all her fault!" She stamped her foot, looking the picture of a furious five-year-old. She still had the squirrel in her hands, cupping its broken little body.

"Hela, perhaps you should show more concern for your sister. She could have been seriously harmed." Sigyn admonished her.

"Put it down now." Loki said with a stern tone. Hela's little bottom lip jutted out to the maximum distance and she carefully laid it back on the ground.

"Bye bye, little squirrel." She said, feeling sad. The family returned to their blanket to pack up and go home. Within moments of their departure, little beady eyes looked on as bones healed and muscles twitched.


	17. Chapter 17

Hela drifted off to sleep in her uncle's arms. She loved her mother and father, but her uncle Thor was by far her favorite person. He'd let her drink from his goblet which had been full of sweet mead. On this, her ninth name day, she'd gotten almost everything she wanted. Her parents still had not gotten her a horse of her own, however. Next year, they promised.

"She's an amazing child." Frigga said as she smiled at her sleeping granddaughter. Hela had a sweet little drunken smile on her face. She'd barely had more than a thimble full.

"She knocked down my little Vali in the training ring yesterday." Thor said with pride.

"She'll be a fearsome Queen someday." Frigga said.

"Aye, though I and the rest of Asgard will be sad to part with her. Whichever realm she is gifted to, will benefit from her presence." Thor said, giving Hela a squeeze.

"Who says she has to leave? She and Vali should be betrothed." Frigga said. Thor frowned as alarm shot up his spine.

"But mother, they are cousins."

"So? Cousins marry all the time, and it is not like she and Vali actually share any blood. A marriage between them would fully cement your brother's place in this family. He needs that Thor. Eventually, if the truth about his heritage is ever revealed, he'll need the protection of interfamily marriage, as will Hela and Valeria." Frigga said. Thor could not deny her logic, simply because she did not have all the facts. He nodded in reply, and did not speak. He needed to tell Loki of Frigga's musings. He'd know what to do.

"The sword you had commissioned for her is lovely, and such a little luxury." Frigga said, changing the subject.

"When she reaches womanhood, I'll have another made to fit her larger frame. Sif says she has a natural talent."

"That is a grand endorsement." Frigga said, smiling once more. "Vali is coming along nicely too."

"Aye, he'll be a great warrior." Thor said.

"But not a great leader." Frigga said. Thor frowned as he looked at his mother. "Oh come now, don't look at me like that. You know of what I speak."

"He'll do fine."

"Yes, he'll do fine. With Hela at his side, he'll do better than fine. He's an above average warrior, but there isn't anything special about him, not like Hela. Legions would die for her if she commanded it. She has that effect on people." Frigga said. Thor could not deny any of it. It was all true. And as Vali's father he should be leaping for joy at this suggestion. He would have, were it any other girl.

"Yes, yes she does." Thor said.

 **Just outside the feasting hall…**

"Hmm, you look good enough to ravish." Loki said as he pulled his wife into an alcove. His cheeks were rosy with mead. He pulled Sigyn's hair out of its neat and proper braid. He liked it when her hair was messy.

"Scandalizing the servants are we?" Sigyn giggled.

"Absolutely." Loki said. Though this corner of the hallway was covered in shadow, the sound carried far. Loki lifted up Sigyn's hemline and unlaced his trousers. He rutted her against the wall as his pants slowly drooped down his hips exposing his undulating ass to passersby. The white full moon bobbed in and out of the darkness of the alcove in rhythm with Sigyn's moans. In the feasting hall, people chuckled to themselves. Sigyn walked the rest of the way back to their chambers feeling squishy and debauched. No sooner did they arrive, did Loki decide he wanted her again.

"My, aren't we randy tonight?" She asked rhetorically.

"My mother and Thor have the girls handled. Now, how about you wrap those sweet lips around my cock?" Loki asked.

"Yes my husband." Sigyn said, dropping to her knees while keeping her eyes locked on Loki's. Her fingers tugged on his trouser laces and once more Loki's cock was freed to engage in physical intimacies. She took the hard shaft into her mouth, tasting herself on him. Loki's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he moaned. Her head bobbed faster and faster and then she'd take teasing breaks to tongue Loki's leaking hole. Loki pushed his pants further down and she grabbed his hips to steady herself as she worked him.

"Mmm, just like that. Oh…take me deeper. Yes, yes…put your finger in my ass." Loki said.

"Hmm?" Sigyn's shocked question hummed around Loki's dick.

"Finger my asshole baby. Make me feel good." Loki said, lost in ecstasy. Sigyn quirked an eyebrow but continued. Her right hand went between Loki's legs, brushing past his balls. She parted his cheeks and found the furled ring there. She watched him, intent to see just how pleasurable her husband found this. She breached him with her longest finger and began to rub.

"Deeper, yes deeper. You're almost there. You're…OH! Sigyn! Yes! Oh NORNS! Fuck! Fuck Sigyn! Oh…yes, yes, YES!" Loki's hips stuttered as he felt the need to thrust into her mouth and push back against her probing digit. He came with a scream, shooting thick ropes of cum down her throat. When his cock softened, she pulled off it, kissing it before tucking it back into Loki's pants.

She stood up to look at her husband. Loki was completely wrecked. His brow was beaded with sweat and he had a faraway gaze.

"You really like it, don't you?" Sigyn asked. "What does it feel like?"

"It feels like Valhalla." Loki said.

"Loki? I know of some ladies that like to use toys to pleasure themselves. Young maidens and widows will sometimes use vegetables or even a carved wooden rod to breach themselves. Would you like me to use one on you?"

"Yes." Loki said, looking hungry for it.

"I'll go into town tomorrow and do some shopping." She said. They got into bed, cuddling and kissing. Sigyn fell asleep with Loki spooning her. She awoke in the middle of the night to him rutting her from behind. There was only one other time Loki had done that.

In the morning, Sigyn's shopping trip was postponed by another round of rutting. Loki kept her in bed all day and night, but no matter how many times they tried, Loki found no satisfaction. It was when Loki fell into a feverish sleep that she sought out Frigga for help.

"He's drenched in sweat. He fucked me in every possible way yesterday. I lost track of the number of times he orgasmed. He wants me to breach him with a phallic toy." She said. "I was going to go into town to purchase one but I couldn't get away from him."

"I'll send one of my hand maidens to fetch one." Frigga said.

"Frigga, what if it doesn't work? He's getting sick."

"We'll figure something out." Frigga said as she pressed a damp cool rag to Loki's brow. She did not want to tell Odin about this if she could help it. She left their quarters to give them privacy and consider emergency options. She considered his symptoms and worried that Loki was biologically required to become pregnant. If this was true, her dark haired son might die. Odin would never give permission for another man to rut him. Nor could they hide his pregnant state like last time. Frigga went to her study and pulled out several books.

Her handmaid was sent to fetch the illicit item and within an hour there was a knock at Sigyn's door. The maid passed it to her. The substitute penis looked how she imagined it would, what she did not expect was the set of underwear that came with it. She studied the garment for a moment before realization dawned on her. The toy fit into the underwear. She was to fuck Loki like a man.

She striped down and put it on, studying her silhouette in the mirror. She thrust her hips a couple of times and had to slap her hands over her mouth to stifle a laugh. This would be by far the strangest sex she'd ever have. She walked back into her bedroom to find Loki writhing on the sheets. She reached out and gently tugged on his foot.

"Loki? Loki honey, roll over and get on your knees for me."

"Thor?"

"No sweetheart. It's Sigyn."

"Sigyn! I need you."

"Loki, I got that toy we discussed. Would you like me to use it on you?"

"Yes!" Loki said, eyes wild and eager. He bent over and shoved his ass into the air, pointing it at Sigyn. It was then she noticed the slick ooze there. It was as she and Frigga feared. Loki was in heat. She shuffled up behind him on her knees and lined up the dildo with his hole.

"Norns, I hope I do this right." She said to herself. "Loki, tell me if I hurt you." She said. She placed her hands on Loki's hips and pressed in. Loki let out a great moan and pushed back onto her to take in more of the length. Going off of what she knew she liked, she started moving her hips just like Loki does when she's on the receiving end. It felt strange and funny and oddly thrilling to see her husband lose his mind in pleasure like this.

"Is it good?" She panted as she fucked her husband.

"Oh Sigyn! More! More!" He pushed back to meet her thrusts and she increased her tempo to meet his need. She kept at it for a very long time. Loki squirmed beneath her as his own need went unmet.

"Come inside me!" He cried out.

"I would if I could baby." Sigyn said. She was getting tired and Loki did not look well. His whole body looked flushed and dehydrated. Finally, she stopped.

"No! Please! Please! Fuck me!" He begged.

"I can't help you baby, I'm sorry." She felt tears spring to her eyes. She didn't know what to do. She grabbed her robe and slipped it on before running for the door. She found a guard and asked him to fetch the Queen immediately. She turned round to find her husband trying to escape their quarters.

"Loki no! You can't." She tackled him to the ground.

"Fuck me!"

"I don't have what you need sweetheart. Help is coming. Please, just stay here. Can you do that? Can you be patient? I'll get you what you need." Sigyn begged her husband as she straddled and pinned him to the floor. He kept bucking up, trying to penetrate her. His skin felt like it was on fire.

Frigga came running into the room without knocking.

"He's dying. Please help him." She begged.

"Step away from him." Frigga said. Her eyes were focused and her expression grim. Sigyn leapt off of him, but Loki grabbed her wrist and tugged.

"Loki let go!"

"Please! I need you!"

"Loki!" Sigyn screamed.

"Son. Let her go." Frigga said. Shadows gathered around her, dark and ominous. Loki sensed the danger and listened to her. She raised her hands and they crackled with magic. Frigga began a chant as she drew on magic forces. A ball of power formed and grew. Finally, when she'd pulled in enough she flung it at Loki. The women kept their distance as they watched the man they loved transform into an animal. Loki grew in size and his hands and feet turned into hooves. He sprouted brown fur and a black tail. When the transformation was done, what stood before them was a mare ready to be mated.

"I'll lead him out to pasture. There is a stallion there ready to breed him." Frigga said.

"What? But how long will he be like this?"

"Until he gives birth to a foal. You'll have to make up a lie to tell the children." Frigga said. "Come along Loki." Frigga said. The horse followed her, looking eager to reach its destination. The palace guards gawked at seeing an unbridled horse casually walking through the palace behind the Queen, but she ignored them. She walked Loki out towards the stables and to the pasture beyond. It was dark outside now and the stars in the sky twinkled overhead. Loki smelled pungent as more slick oozed from his backside. From the pasture ahead, a stallion snorted and whinnied. Loki ran to it. Frigga did not stay to watch.


	18. Chapter 18

**Got a really awesome plot suggestion from a guest. I'm going to file it away for now because I need to think up a little more on the plot. Like who would Loki pair with if Thor is not there for most of the fic. Loki on earth with the Avengers. Would it be Jane? Or Tony? Or Cap? Haven't decided. Plus, an adventure for the team to go on. Anyway, so tell me what you guys think about this chapter. Who takes after Loki more? Valeria or Hela?**

Hela sat alone in the royal garden playing with the irises and watching the dragonflies. She loved to make the still ones move again. She loved to pretend that she could make it snow. She imagined a world preserved in ice, never aging. She hummed a song her grandmother had taught her as she got up to skip through the garden. There was an orchard on the periphery that she liked to hide in. It wasn't Idunn's orchard. That lay farther to the east. No, this place was more ancient. It felt wild and untamed in the middle of Frigga's manicured landscape. Frigga had told her repeatedly not to go there as it was unsafe for children, but Hela did not see the danger.

The trees were old, nearly dead and their twisted trunks were gray with age. She didn't know what kind of trees they were. She hadn't seen them anywhere else in Asgard. She felt powerful here. Her seidr felt like it was dancing inside of her body and she longed to know the meaning of it.

"You're not supposed to be here little one." A man's voice said behind her. Hela turned, her little sword drawn. But the man chuckled.

"I'm a princess. I go where I like. It is you that does not belong."

"I'm a prince. I go where I like as well." The man said. Hela looked him over. He looked like uncle Thor, though younger and paler. His voice had a disembodied resonance and the shadows under his eyes made them look sunken.

"If you're a prince, then what is the name of your kingdom?" Hela asked, doubting him.

"I don't have one anymore. None of us do. We wander without a realm to call our own." He said.

"Then you are not a prince." Hela said.

"These trees first sprouted after the creation of The Gap, the great void from which Asgard emerged. Did you know that?"

"No. So?"

"It is said that the dead seek out The Gap once more, when they wish to put an end to their existence."

"That's not true. The dead go to Valhalla!"

"Not everyone child. Only great warriors who die with honor in battle or women who die while birthing a babe. All others linger with no place to go."

"I don't believe you. People die of old age all the time. They go to Valhalla!"

"The demons hunt us. They feast upon our souls."

"Why don't you fight them?"

"We do, but we are not their God."

"Who is?" Hela asked.

"Who are you talking to?" Valeria asked as she stepped out from behind a tree.

"A man." Hela said, but she turned back to find the man gone.

"Talking to one's self is a sign of insanity you know." Valeria said.

"I wasn't talking to myself."

"You're not supposed to be here. I'm telling."

"You're not supposed to be here either." Hela said.

"Mother is looking for you. She has something to tell us." Valeria said. The girls left the orchard, following the dirt path that eventually turned into cobblestones and then marble. They found their mother in their grandmother's salon, embroidering something.

"Mother, where is father?" Hela asked as she sat down at the table for tea.

"Girls, your father will be gone for several months. He is on a mission for the kingdom." Sigyn said.

"What? When does he leave?" Valeria asked.

"He's already gone sweetheart. There was no time to say goodbye. It was a bit of an emergency." Sigyn said.

"Why, what is he doing?" Hela asked.

"It's a state secret sweetheart, I cannot tell you. I do not even know all the details myself." Sigyn said. Valeria studied her mother's face. She knew she was being lied to. Her mother's eyes always rolled up and away when she was telling a falsehood. She'd seen her mother do it many times at court.

"When will he be back?" Valeria asked.

"About a year." Sigyn said, and she started to cry. The girls got up and went to their mother's side to share in her grief.

"I want daddy." Hela said as the tears came. They all sobbed together for several minutes, crying it out. When their throats went dry and no more tears came, Sigyn spoke again.

"I have a surprise for you both. Come with me." Sigyn said. They followed their mother in silence. Hela noted how her mother looked around as though she feared she was being watched. They got outside and Hela realized they were headed towards the stables, and her heart patted in excitement. Leave it to her mother to soothe her loss with the thing she wanted most.

"There is a new mare here in the stables. She was just bred and will give birth in about a year, right around the time your father will return. She will be our little family project. We will see to her every need." Sigyn said. They entered the stable to find a beautiful brown bay. Her black mane and tail matched and there was not a speck of white on her. Her ears were very pointy and she was 15 hands tall. The horse whinnied at seeing them and the mare nuzzled Sigyn the second she was in range. Sigyn giggled in delight.

"Where's my present?" Valeria asked. Sigyn turned to look at her daughter, puzzled by the question.

"What dear?"

"Hela is the one that wants a horse. Where's my present?" Valeria asked.

"Valeria, the horse is a gift for the whole family."

"I don't want her! I want my daddy!" Valeria stopped her feet. The horse grunted and snorted, and even raised up a little on its hind legs briefly.

"Sweetheart I know…"

"No! No you don't! You don't love me! Hela's your favorite! Only daddy pays attention to me! I don't want your stupid horse!" Valeria ran off to her secret hiding place. Sigyn ran after her, leaving Hela alone with the mare. She looked up at the big animal and pet its nose. The mare made a pleased sound and sniffed her neck.

"You're not my daddy, but you'll do." Hela said with love in her eyes. Already a daily regimen of feeding, hair brushing, and daily rides were formulating in her mind. Within seconds she had a set schedule laid out.

"I will name you Skadi." Hela said, feeling the bittersweet ache of her father's absence. She felt heartbroken too, but knew there was nothing she could do except accept the comfort being offered by the four legged surrogate. She ran her little fingers through the dark mane.

"I love you already." She said.

Sigyn ran after Valeria, but the girl was fast and knew all the little hiding places in the palace. She ducked into one of the royal corridors and disappeared. Sigyn ran through the narrow maze for a time before giving up, exhausted and emotionally spent. She'd turn up sooner or later, but the child needed comfort now. Defeated, Sigyn returned to the stable to spend time with her husband.

XxXxXxXxXx

It was dark outside. The stars themselves seemed in mourning, for they did not shine as brightly. Sigyn sat by the fireplace in her salon as she finished embroidering Loki's handkerchief. Her inability to gift it to him, now that it was finished, felt like a cruel joke. A soft knock came at her door and Frigga entered.

"Any word of Valeria?" Sigyn asked. She had not turned up at dinner and was growing worried.

"Heimdall spotted her. She's here in the palace, safe."

"Where?"

"He would not say. He wanted to respect her privacy." Frigga said. "She'll come out when she is ready." The fire crackled, filling the silence.

"Do you think we did the right thing? Sigyn asked.

"Yes. What else could we do?" Frigga said.

"Let a man fuck him, for starters." Sigyn said.

"Odin would never have allowed it."

"What does he care about the happenings of my marital bed?"

"Sigyn…"

"This is ridiculous Frigga. My children and I are deprived of Loki for a year now. So what if he conceived a child? He's Jotunn. My children are half-Jotunn. The public will find out one day. I'm tired of all the secrets." Sigyn said. From under her parent's bed, Valeria gasped at the revelation.

"You know how the people of Asgard feel about his kind. They are not as understanding as you or I. They would turn on him, and your children."

"Valeria accused me of loving Hela more than her." Sigyn said. "I have tried so hard not to show Valeria favoritism. To not make Hela feel like the bastard offspring that she is. She's not even mine. And now my baby girl thinks that Hela has my heart and that she does not."

"Do not upset yourself. Jealousy between siblings is normal. You are capable of loving both. You've proven that you do."

"Sometimes, I look at her and wonder who her father is. Her face is changing the more she ages. She doesn't look like me. All I see when I look at her is some stranger staring back."

"I understand. You have done remarkably well. Hela feels loved. Everyone can see that she does."

"I want my husband." Sigyn broke down into tears again. Frigga moved to sit closer to her and console her. In the dark, Valeria crept out of her hiding spot and returned to her room.


	19. Chapter 19

**So now that this whole Hiddleswift thing has broken out, I'm imagining Taylor Swift as Sigyn. They look so cute together! SQUEEEEE! I hope it lasts. Tom looks so happy. It's adorable.**

Hela was putting the finishing touches on Skadi's mane when Valeria and Sigyn came into the stables. She'd cut, braided, and then woven flowers into the horse's mane and tail.

"Oh sweetheart, you've done a marvelous job." Sigyn said. Hela beamed a bright smile, feeling so pleased with herself.

"I've already fed her a bucket of oats, plus a couple of carrots and a sugar cube." She said.

"Very good." Sigyn said as she petted Loki's head.

"Can I ride her now?" Hela asked. Sigyn grimaced, fearing Valeria would protest out of jealousy. She looked down at her daughter, but was surprised when her eyes met a sweet smile and silence.

"Mommy, while Hela is ridding the horse, can you take me into town? I want to spend the day with you. Just you." She said.

"Alright. I think that would be fine." Sigyn said. Both girls squealed with delight, having both gotten what they wanted. Sigyn breathed a sigh of relief. She thought that after yesterday, she was in for more trouble.

Hela mounted Skadi and the horse whinnied in approval. The mare was let out of the gate and took off to the open pasture at a nice gallop, while Sigyn and Valeria looked on.

"Mommy, can I have a new dolly?" Valeria asked.

"Yes sweetheart. Let's go pick out one together." They walked to town, taking their time at the individual stalls of the marketplace. Valeria stopped at the bakery and begged for a sweet honey roll, which Sigyn indulged. Valeria ate it happily, licking the honey off her fingers just as they passed the jeweler's cart. Sigyn stopped and admired all the beautiful necklaces, decadent hair combs, and bracelets. The merchant perked up, having the 2nd princess evaluating his wares. He pulled out a box filled with his reserved items that he only displayed to wealthy clients. A gorgeous emerald crusted hair pick caught Valeria's eye.

"I want that one Mommy!" She said.

"Valeria sweetheart, you are too young for such a gift. That is a gift befitting your aunt Sif or Queen Frigga, not a little girl."

"You love Hela more than me! You never buy me anything nice!" Valeria said. Sigyn felt the accusation pierce her heart like a poisoned tipped arrow.

"That is not true my darling."

"Yes it is! She's prettier than me and everyone likes her better. Even you!"

"That's not true." Sigyn said, but even she could not feign enough sincerity to make herself believe it let alone convince her child of the same.

"Yes it is! She everybody's favorite. Daddy's gone and nobody wants me." Valeria said as tears poured out of her eyes.

"I'll take it." Sigyn said to the merchant, cracking open her purse and pulling out the seven gold coins needed to cover the steep cost. The man looked between mother and daughter. Though he questioned her parenting privately, he did not voice his thoughts. Not when his silence brought him such a large payday. He began wrapping the delicate item in tissue paper but Valeria stopped him.

"I want to wear it." She said. Sigyn pulled a tight smile but fixed the decorated comb into the child's hair, just at the top of the back of her head.

"There now. It's better than a tiara."

"I love it! Thank you Mommy." Valeria wrapped her arms around her mother and hugged her. Sigyn basked in that sweet little hug and the affection her child of her body showered upon her. Sometimes, she really did wish it was just the two of them.

In the pasture, Hela rode her new horse with a big smile. She delighted in her new found independence as the wind whipped through her hair. This mare was so docile and well trained. Skadi was perfect for her. For over two hours she rode, going out beyond the palace perimeter to a local pond filled with small fish and peasant children. She wanted to play with them, but they all looked at her like she was a strange creature. She decided against it. She rounded back towards the palace and headed towards the training field to find her favorite person, and show off her new horse to him.

Thor and Vali were working on their swordsmanship when Hela arrived. Her golden skin and golden hair glowed in the golden sun. Just like her uncle.

"Ah Hela! You are late for your lesson." Thor said with a smile. He looked at the mare and realization dawned on him. He kept his smile plastered to his face. He did not want to alarm Hela that something was wrong.

"Is this a new horse?" Thor asked.

"Yes. Mommy said she's ours. She's pregnant and I am to take good care of her. I named her Skadi." Hela said. Thor looked at his brother, transformed. Frigga had told him and Sif of the emergency measures taken to prevent another scandal. He had planned to go down to the stables late that evening to talk to Loki and see if he was still capable of conversing in some form or fashion. They had still not discussed Frigga's plan to betroth Hela to Vali, and he needed advice. Hela took up a wooden sword and proceeded to spare with her cousin.

"Stupid girl. You think you can defeat me?" Vali asked, with flagrant arrogance and a cheesy pirate grin.

"I defeated you yesterday didn't I? Knocked you right on your bum."

"You did no such thing!"

"Lie to yourself all you want Vali. You can't rewrite history." Hela said and she thrust her blade at him.

"I can if I'm King. The King writes the history books, and the loser's victories are always left out."

"If you don't document your opponent's victories over you, how will you ever learn from your mistakes?" Hela asked. Their wooden blades clashed, making thudding sounds instead of clashing ones. Vali was stronger than Hela, and only slightly taller though that height difference would increase in the coming years. Despite these advantages, Hela was quicker. She knocked him on his bum yet again.

"If you keep losing to me, you won't be King at all." Hela said, sounding just as arrogant as her cousin.

"Of course I'll be King. A woman cannot rule Asgard." Vali proclaimed.

"I wouldn't say that in front of your grandmother Vali. Not if you value your life." Thor said. "You should be kind to your cousin Vali. You will rely on her as you grow up. You will need her at your side to help defend the realm, both in battle, and in court." Thor said. They were standing in earshot of Loki and Thor looked directly at the horse before uttering his next sentence. "She may also be your ally in your marriage bed." Thor said, first looking in his son's eyes before darting his gaze to the mare. Loki's ears turned toward Thor and the horse's whole body tensed up, clearly alarmed.

"What? I can't marry her! She's got girl germs." Vali said.

"I can't marry him either. He's stinky." Hela said.

"I am not!"

"Are too. And you chew your food with your mouth open at dinner." Hela said.

"That's because it's so yummy." Vali said. The two children bickered as Thor walked over to Loki and petted his mane. He whispered into the horse's ear.

"Frigga means to betroth Hela to Vali. I don't know what to do." Thor muttered. Loki whinnied, this time in alarm and Hela ran over.

"Uncle! What did you do?"

"Nothing Hela."

"You scared her! You can't spook her in her condition! She's going to be a Mommy!"

"Of course. It was careless of me. I won't do it again." Thor said, sounding more somber and chastised than he should for such a small transgression.

"I'm taking Skadi back to the stables now. It's time for her oats." Hela said.

"Very well. I'll see you at dinner Hela."

"Bye uncle."


	20. Chapter 20

**Sorry for the long absence, real life sucks, but I've also been on vacation. Had some other projects that demanded my attention. And then there were the primaries. I'm depressed now. I get to choose between a shit sandwich and a giant douche come November. I think I'll just stay home. Anyway, here is some intrigue. Enjoy.**

Sigyn and Frigga drank mead as they kept Loki company. His water had broken and the evidence of it was a bag hanging out his hind end.

"What is Thor doing with the girls?" Frigga asked.

"He and Sif took them on a hunting trip with Vali to distract them. Hela really didn't want to go. She knew he'd be giving birth soon." Sigyn said.

"She'll be angry with you when she returns."

"Aye, she will. But her father will be back. The girls have missed him so. I have missed him." Sigyn said. Loki made a noise, and whether or not he had understood her, she couldn't be certain.

"I see hooves." Frigga said. At first she was calm, until she noticed a second set of hooves that should not have been showing at this stage.

"Are all four feet supposed to be out already?"

"No. Something's wrong." Frigga said. She placed her hand on Loki's flank and closed her eyes. Sigyn watched her in silence as the seconds ticked by and Frigga muttered quietly to herself. Frigga's eyes flew open and her expression was grim.

"The foal is misshapen. It has eight legs. Loki will not be able to birth it naturally." Frigga said. "Lay down son. I must cut out the animal."

Loki whinnied at her, shaking his head clearly upset.

"Forgive me for sounding crass. I know you love this child as much as your others." She said. Loki knelt down and lay on his massive side so that Frigga could perform the cesarean.

"Do you know what you are doing?" Sigyn asked.

"I have done this before, with people." Frigga said. Frigga placed her hands on Loki's belly again and muttered another enchantment. The air crackled with magic like static electricity and Sigyn's hair frizzed because of it. Frigga unsheathed her knife and held it aloft.

"Don't miss." Sigyn said.

"I never miss. Close your eyes son." Frigga said, before slitting him open to remove the foal. Loki was numbed to the pain, but that didn't stop Sigyn from feeling frightened. Frigga pulled the eight-legged horse from Loki's womb and the beast stood immediately. Frigga set to sealing Loki back up, which was much more difficult than opening him.

"He's cute. The extra legs are actually well placed and they look functional." Sigyn said. The foal was completely black save for the diamond white patch on the forehead. Small, covered in slime, and shaking, it looked vulnerable and fragile…until it lept around the stall with vigorous enthusiasm.

"Happy to be free and move around I see. He even has a crown on his crown." Sigyn said. "He's a little prince." Sigyn reached out and petted her not-son.

"Your sisters will love you more than the rising sun." Sigyn said, smiling as she examined him. She pondered names for the new addition, but knew it would only be right for Loki to name him. It took Frigga over an hour to seal Loki up, and once this was done, she changed him back. Loki reappeared, nude, and curled up on the floor.

"Loki!" Sigyn fell to her knees beside her husband to help him up. She kissed him so hard she near sucked the oxygen from his lungs.

"I missed you too." Loki said, shivering from pain. His insides, while changed, still felt the trauma of recent events. He was in desperate need of sleep.

"Could you understand us? Anything that we said?"

"Yes of course." Loki said. "There were so many times I wanted to speak kind words and offer support. Hela has been melancholy of late."

"She has? But she always looks so happy." Sigyn said. Loki bit his tongue. He wanted to say that she took after Thor in that way.

"It's in her nature."

"How do you feel?" Sigyn asked.

"Like my guts have been ripped out, but he was well worth the effort." Loki said with a smile as he looked at his son. Frigga threw a horse blanket around Loki to help shield his modesty.

"You'll need a few day's rest to recover. No sex for a few days." Frigga said, with a knowing smile.

"Frigga! Damn you!" Sigyn said. Loki chuckled, but he was glad for his mother's intervention. He was rung out.

"All in good time darling. First things first, Sleipnir needs to be fed and I no longer have what he needs."  
"I'll have a stable hand bottle feed him." Frigga said.

"Have Hela take over that duty when she returns. He is to be hers. She'll love him. I know she will." Loki said.

"What do you think we should tell her about Skadi?"

"Tell her Skadi died giving birth to him. She'll believe it considering his appearance. It'll break her heart but that'll just make her all the more committed to him." Loki said.

XxXxXxXx

"Bravo! Amazing shot Hela!" Sif called out. Hela's arrow soared true and hit the deer square in the heart. Because of her, they would be enjoying fresh venison for dinner.

"Thank you Aunt Sif!" Hela said.

"You've the makings of a great warrior Hela." Sif said. The Aesir warrior looked down upon the child and wondered whom she took after. In all this time Loki had never confessed the identity of her true father. She couldn't blame Loki, really. Whoever the man was, he'd gifted the family with a very bright and beautiful princess. One she felt was worthy of being called Queen one day.

"Ah! The ladies have beat us to the game son." Thor said as he appeared from under the brush. Vali appeared right behind him. Valeria was back at camp reading a spell book. Thor knew from his life experiences with Loki, that it was best to let the girl be in her solitude.

"I would have got him first if that tree had not been in the way." Vali said.

"I know it son, but sometimes luck favors a lady." Thor said.

"I wonder what happens to it after it dies." Hela said, looking at the deer.

"We eat it of course." Vali said.

"I don't mean that. I mean, what happens to its soul? Where does it go? Are deer allowed in Valhalla?" Hela asked.

"No child. Beasts like this are reborn over and over again. It is their purpose to provide us with sustenance. Only people go to Valhalla." Thor said.

"Not everyone goes there. Only warriors that die in battle and women that die in childbirth. Where does everyone else go?" Hela pressed.

"Such a serious topic for a victorious moment. Don't worry your little head about it. You have plenty of time to worry about such things when you are grown." Sif said. Sif instructed Vali and Hela how to field dress a carcass. Removing the organs without tainting them with the excrement of the animal was key. It was messy bloody work and the weight of their packs were almost overwhelming for the two young people. Thankfully, Thor and Sif carried most of it.

"We'll need to eat the organs first. They don't last long." Thor said. Sif sneered.

"I've never liked offal. I'd rather leave the entrails for the scavengers. You can have the kidney and liver." Sif said. Thor laughed at his wife.

"What are you talking about? You've eaten organs many times."

"On long campaigns when the supplies were low. I'm not so above the other warriors to look down my nose at passable protein. But this isn't a long campaign. I'm having steak." They made the short walk down the animal trails back to camp, to find Valeria right where they left her.

Snuggled up on a fur rug inside their tent, she'd fallen asleep while reading. Her long black hair was a tangled mess. She'd forgotten to braid it before bed and there wasn't a decent hairbrush among them.

"Hey lazybones, we're back!" Hela said loudly as she tromped into the tent, dumping her pack and shucking off her weapons and heavy boots.

"Good for you."

"Read anything good?" Hela asked.

"Just some summoning spells." Valeria said.

"Summoning what?"

"Oh, all kinds of things." Valeria said.

"You'll have to share the book with me later."

"No I don't! Get your own book!"

"It's the only copy in the palace library and you know it! You've been reading it all day! You can share!"

"You could have brought something else to read!"

"But I want to learn the same things you're learning."

"Copycat."

"Lazybones."

"Girls." Thor said in a stern tone. The sisters bickering halted immediately.

"Uncle Thor can we go home now? Skadi is going to give birth any day and I want to be there." Hela begged.

"She will be fine without you child. Horses give birth all the time."

"Not like this." Valeria muttered.

"What?" Hela asked.

"Nothing. I'm just excited that daddy will be home soon." Valeria said.

"How do you know?" Hela asked.

"It's been almost a year. Mommy said it would be about that long."

"No she didn't!"

"Yes she did."

"Girls. Valeria, go help your aunt prepare supper. You excel in the woman's arts far better than anyone else here." Thor said. Valeria rolled her eyes, but shoved her bookmark in the pages before putting it down and getting up.

"And don't touch it while I'm gone." Valeria said to Hela. She stumbled out to the campfire just in time to see Vali getting ready to add Poison Ivy to the pot.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" She screeched at him.

"I'm adding some of this oregano I found." Vali said sounding snotty and arrogant.

"That's not oregano! It's Poison Ivy you idiot!"

"No it's not!"

"Son, drop that plant this instant and go see your father for first aid." Sif said as she approached with a pile of wood under her arm. Vali huffed, humiliated, and threw the plant on the ground. His palm already turning red and becoming itchy. Sif kicked it into the fire.

"There some sage over there. I'll go pick some." Valeria said. She returned after a while with that plus some rosemary as well.

"Our meal will taste decent enough tonight."

"Did you bring any lard or salt this time?" Valeria asked.

"Yes, I remembered. I couldn't forget after the scolding I got from you last time." Sif said. Valeria tossed the chunk of pig fat into the bottom of the pot and added the onions and root vegetables. Only when she was satisfied did she add water or any other ingredients. The stew would not be dinner, but breakfast in the morning after a long night of cooking. Valeria dumped in the toughest cuts of meat from the deer as Sif placed steaks and organs onto hot rocks to sizzle.

"You are turning into quite the accomplished young lady." Sif said. It was true, that Valeria had all the hallmarks of a noblewoman. She was a skinny girl and her face was pleasant to look at, though she looked dull compared to his sister Hela. Still, she had that gracefulness that men found pleasing. Unfortunately, she also had Loki's sharp tongue and dismissive nature. Not everyone appreciated such cutting candor.

"Valeria, would you pull that loaf from my satchel and beginning slicing it to serve?" Sif asked.

"Yes Aunt Sif."

"Dinner's almost ready!" Valeria called. Thor, Vali, and Hela came out of the tent shortly after and plates were filled with meat and bread for the family. Hela bit into the heart, chewing the flavorful muscle as she looked around at the trees. Beneath her lashes, her sister Valeria watched her.

Vali and Thor talked about different blades and their uses during their meal, but Hela was distracted. She could hear whispering on the wind.

"Did you see that?" Hela asked.

"See what?"

"There's something over there. I saw a shadow." Hela pointed to a dark area in the foliage.

"I'll go look." Thor said, grabbing Mjolnir. He investigated but found nothing.

"All clear." Thor said with a big smile. But Hela knew better. She saw movement again but no one else noticed it, so she said nothing. The dark shadow stilled and then she saw a discernable form. It was a deer. But far from the healthy creature she'd hunted not hours before this one was most definitely dead. It was skeletal and rotting. Clotted blood was running from an open wound, and Hela knew that it was the soul of the very deer they were all eating. It lowered its head, and charged at Hela, and she screamed.

"Hela? What is wrong?" Thor asked.

"Can't you see it?" Hela asked, with tears in her eyes and her face unusually pale.

"See what?" Vali asked.

"The deer."

"Another one? I must say if it is a deer it should be afraid of us, not the other way around." Thor said.

"No! It was the same deer. The deer I killed!" Hela said.

"Oh sweetheart, you are merely feeling guilty. Do not let yourself be so troubled. It is not good for you. Twas just a deer, like any of the pigs, goats, or cows we eat at home in the palace." Thor said.

"She's just not used to seeing death, that's all." Sif said. "Hela, animals die so that we may eat. It is the nature of the world."

"I know that. It doesn't bother me!" Hela said. She didn't know what to say to make them understand. If she said any more they would question her sanity.

"I'm not hungry anymore. I want to go to bed." Hela said. "Uncle Thor can I sleep next to you tonight?"

"Of course swee…" Thor began to say but Sif touched his arm and shook her head.

"She's too old for that Thor." Sif said. _And you coddle her too much,_ was unsaid.

"We'll all be in the same tent Hela. You'll be safe, have no fear." Thor said and gave her another warm reassuring smile. Hela nodded and rubbed her tears from her eyes before turning to flee into the tent.

Behind a curtain of long black hair, Valeria smiled softly to herself.


	21. Chapter 21

"Come on! We're almost there!" Hela said, running ahead of the group. She was anxious to check the stables. They reached the front of the palace and Hela dumped her pack on the ground right there and ran off. Thor smiled at her as she disappeared around the corner. She sprinted to the stables, hoping she was not too late. She pulled the gate open and ran inside.

Skadi was gone. But Hela did not notice this. She was too distracted by the sight of her father bottle feeding a baby horse.

"Daddy!" Hela ran to Loki, practically knocking him on his butt as her little arms flew around his neck. "I missed you! I missed you so much! I love you Daddy! Daddy did you bring me anything from your travels? Was it scary and dangerous? Does Mommy know you're back?"

"Yes! Yes, child. Shh. Shh." Loki rubbed Hela's back to soothe her as tears of joy wracked her body. She'd missed her father terribly.

"I've been a good girl! I've been taking care of Skadi. She's a pregnant horse and I'm going to take care of the foal!" Hela declared. A tight smile spread across Loki's face as he prepared to lie to his little girl.

He broke the news to her that Skadi was dead and that little Sleipnir was alone in the world and needed a mommy. Hela cried at the loss of Skadi, but when she laid eyes on her little eight-legged foal, she fell in love. Loki knew his son would be in good hands. Hela detached her arms from her father's neck and encircled Sleipnir's instead, vowing to love him and care for him until the end of time.

Loki heard the rustling of little running feet and Valeria soon joined them. His little carbon copy of a child broke down in tears as she snuggled into her father's chest. Valeria breathed deep her father's scent, his real scent. Sigyn soon followed and the little family enjoyed their reunion in the privacy of the stable.

XxXxXxXxXx

The feast later that evening heralding Loki's return was grand and ornate. Loki spun a ridiculous lie about how he traversed the wilderness of Alfheim to slay a made up beast at the request of Alfheim's King.

"It was as tall as a tree, with great horns and giant eyes." Loki said.

"Did it have a big tongue too?!" Vali asked.

"Oh yes, just like the toads you like to chase in the garden. Only this tongue liked to snatch people into that giant gaping mouth full of razor sharp teeth." Loki held up his hands like claws, and growled at the children. Vali and Hela were eating it up.

"What did you do?" Hela asked.

"Yes, Silvertongue, what did you do?" Asked Volstagg as he raised his ale to his lips. Loki sneered at him.

"The beast whipped it's tongue out at me and I used a sword to pin the tip to the trunk of a tree. Then I used an axe to sever it."

"A sword and an axe? You don't even carry those while here at home." Fandral called out. Loki flicked his wrist and turned his mead into a pile of writhing snakes.

"Ooh, like I haven't seen that trick before." Fandral said, unphased.

"Did it gush a lot of blood?" Vali asked.

"It did indeed. Black blood like tar." Loki said. Many children gathered around along with many warriors and courtiers. Half of the adults in the room thought Loki to be full of shit, and the other half was too entertained to care. No one noticed that Valeria was missing. Nor Sif.

The little girl was at the end of east wing, where foreign guests usually stayed. Though well maintained by the servants, this part of the palace still felt empty of life. The small rooms in the left hall were seldom used unless visitors from multiple realms were all staying in Asgard simultaneously, or when a Queen-in-waiting wanted some place private to cheat on her husband.

Valeria sat in the dim hallway reading her book, waiting for the door to open. She could hear the sounds of a distinct activity that she often associated with her parents. As the moans of pleasure died down and the sound of silence returned to the hall; she placed a bookmark in her book, closed it, and looked up at the door. Sif and Hogun came spilling out, looking nervous and guilty.

"Hello Aunt Sif." Valeria said. Sif blanched and Hogun looked surprised, a rare occurrence.

"Valeria! We…we were just…we were checking…"

"You were cheating on my Uncle." Valeria said. Sif closed her mouth and assessed the girl. Valeria had a small smug smile on her face and the body posture of confidence and power. It reminded Sif of Loki, in all the wrong ways.

"Now see here. You will not speak a word of this to anyone." Sif said.

"I know. I won't." Valeria said. Sif looked at her, waiting for the other shoe to drop. There was no way it would be that easy. The silence dragged out again and Sif broke it first.

"Just like that?"

"Well, no."

"What do you want?" Sif asked.

"I want to marry Vali. I want to be Queen." She said. She stood up and walked up to Sif and stopped, facing her toe to toe. She had to crane her little neck up at a steep angle just to meet her eyes. "I want your endorsement for my betrothal to your son over Hela."

"You're very perceptive for one so young."

"Thank you. Why him?" Valeria asked, pointing to Hogun. Her uncle Thor was the pinnacle of male attractiveness and power. She did not understand what Hogun had to offer.

"He gives me affection that my husband does not." Sif said. Valeria quirk her eyebrow, surprised by that response.

"I won't say anything. I know how to keep secrets."

"Really? And what would those be?" Sif said, barely reigning in her contempt. Valeria merely smiled and walked away. And then she started skipping.

"That little girl is a viper." Hogun said.

"Just like her father." Sif said.


	22. Chapter 22

Another birthday came and went, and then another, and then another. Sleipnir grew to a phenomenal size. Far from the crippled creature everyone expected, the horse was powerful and fast. Hela was the envy of the army and even Odin when she rode the fierce beast. Her entry into womanhood began with the small buds on her chest growing into large supple mounds. Her flat plank body grew outward into pleasing curves. Though her cousin Vali was also developing into a strapping young man, he still had trouble competing against her, much to the royal family's embarrassment. Of all of Odin's grandchildren, Hela was the most favored by everyone.

Her skills were not limited to the battlefield. Like Frigga she wielded seidr with grace and cunning. Both of Loki's daughters did, but no one paid Valeria much attention. That is, until the subject to of Vali's future Queen came up. It was generally assumed by everyone that Hela was the natural choice.

"What?" Odin asked. Frigga was equally surprised.

"I think Valeria is the better match for my son." Sif said.

"I agree." Loki said. Sif whipped her head around to look at him, surprised by his endorsement as well. It made her suspicious. She wondered what blackmail Valeria had leveraged against her own father.

"I do also." Sigyn said.

"And I." Thor said.

"I don't understand. Hela is a natural leader. The people love Hela. She's strong, inspirational, a warrior on the battlefield and a great seidrmier. Valeria…she's…" Frigga shook her head. She did not want to be unkind to the girl.

"A perfect counterbalance to Vali. Hela is too popular." Sif said.

"Aye." Thor seconded.

"People are already lamenting Vali's position as Thor's heir. There are many that would prefer Hela ascend to the throne. A marriage between them could cause a terrible rift. Vali as king, playing second fiddle to his wife is a recipe for sedition. Mother, you and Sif are both smart strong women, but neither of you have ever made the mistake of outshining your husbands." Loki said.

"Outshining him isn't that hard." Sif said quietly. She had to be honest, in that regard. She knew exactly what her son was and wasn't as a future ruler.

"Have you all gone mad? Hela is the best choice." Odin said.

"We disagree father." Thor said.

"No. You are all overruled. Hela will be betrothed to Vali. She is the Queen he needs. And besides, they like each other. Vali's lackluster performance on the battlefield aside, they do genuinely enjoy each other's company. I've seen it. No, not Valeria. She is the wrong choice." Odin said.

Sif, Thor, and Loki all blanched while Sigyn merely looked disappointed. Frigga and Odin did not understand why their family all thought as they did. They had a strange minority opinion.

It was a two days before Thor and Loki were able to coordinate time alone to speak about the issue.

"We cannot let this happen. We have to find a way to prevent this marriage from taking place." Thor said.

"Thor, the courtship is where the problem will begin. Once the betrothal is formally announced the two of them will be expected to spend time with each other, alone. You know damn well how easy it is to outsmart a chaperone. They'll have been intimate at least at a minor level before they even reach the wedding night. We have to act now." Loki said.

"Well, alright. So what is the plan?" Thor asked.

"Why do you always look to me to solve all of our problems Thor? I don't know what to do! Short of confessing the truth, I have no idea what to do."

"But you are the lie-smith! The master of deception! The architect of deceit! Mother of Hela and Sleipnir and yet only a handful of people in all of existence know it! You are brilliant in this art. Surely you must have some idea?"

"Fuck you, and no. Short of us kidnapping Hela and abandoning Asgard, I have no ideas." Loki said. Thor's face went blank as he considered the possibility.

"No Thor."

"Why not?"

"Are you mad? Where would we go? Where would we even run to? You'd have me rip our daughter away from the only home she has ever known, only to live like criminals and flee like fugitives. Odin would hunt us down! Never mind the throne!"

"I can't live like this anymore Loki. I'm so sick in my heart of living this lie, I'd gladly walk away from power, because I'd finally be happy with you. We'd have Hela. We'd keep her safe. We could be the family we always should have been, and she'd finally know the truth of who I am and who you are-to her." Thor took Loki's hands into his. His blue eyes were begging.

"Please Loki. Run away with me. There is nothing for us here, and now with Odin's decree there is nothing for Hela either except tragedy and wasted potential. If the people find out, _when_ the people find out that she is Vali's sister, they will scorn her just as sure as they will scorn us. She deserves to be loved by people that will not turn their backs on her for reasons beyond her control. The truth will be heartbreaking, but it will also save her. We must do this. Valeria and Vali are almost fully grown. Sif and Sigyn would be free to start over with other people. You and I have waited long enough."

"If Odin catches us…" Loki said.

"Then he catches us. I'm not afraid anymore." Thor said. There it was. Thor had finally reached his breaking point. Loki had hoped to come up with some sort of scheme to delay the courtship and the wedding until Odin dropped dead. But Odin was still rather healthy, and at the pace of current things, the courtship would begin soon. Thor was right.

"We'll need to manufacture a reason to leave Asgard and have only Hela go with us. A hunting trip perhaps. You and I haven't been on one of those in years alone thanks to Odin. He'll think she's our chaperone. Once we get to where we are going, I'll have to cloak all three of us until we reach our next destination. We need to decide where our new home will be." Loki said.

Thor crushed Loki to his chest and kissed him. Relief flooded the thunderer's body and Loki thought he heard the thunder roll.

"Thor."

"Sorry."

"Don't give the game away now. This is the worst time to make a mistake."

"I'll be more careful."

"Good. I'll be in the library. I need to do some research on our prospective new homes."


	23. Chapter 23

Thor watched as Odin and Vali chatted over by the wrestling pit. It had been some time since the King had come out to the training field to be amongst the men. His weathered skin displayed the crow's feet around the eyes that etched ever deeper when he grinned. His snow white hair and pudgy belly all gave off the air of a proud, cheerful grandfather. A benign man. A soft man.

Thor knew better.

"You smashed his face into the dirt! I knew you could do it boy!" Odin said.

"When I am King, I'll slay all the Frost Giants!"

"That you will, my boy. That you will." Odin said smiling as he patted Vali's shoulder. As Odin strode away he locked eyes with Thor and Odin's smile fell. Vali came running up to him.

"Did you see me father?" Vali asked in his baritone voice. His shoulders had broadened quite a bit in the last year, and he was now only slightly shorter and smaller than Thor.

"Aye. You did well."

"He tried to cheat too. Grabbed a handful of sand and threw it at my eyes like some ergi little snake." Vali said with a smile.

"Son, ergi men are not snakes. They are not criminals or vile beasts either. They are simply men, who love." Thor said. Vali's eyes widen and he turned to gazed upon his father with a shocked and queer expression.

"Being ergi is a crime."

"Only because your grandfather has made it so." Thor said. Vali shifted his feet, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

"But father, surely you do not condone two men fucking one another? It's disgusting!"

"It is an uncommon desire, yes. But one day when you are older you will see the wide array of carnal impulses that lie within the heart of each Aesir. Especially when you have been married to the same woman for over a thousand years. Sex can get very boring." Thor said. Vali continued to stare at his father as the obvious question sat on his tongue like a nagging itch. It remained there, however, encased in the chains of awkwardness.

"I'm going to go shower now." Vali said, and left. Thor returned his attention to Mjolnir. The leather on the handle had cracked in one area and needed replacing. It was causing blisters to form on his palm when he used her. He saw movement on his periphery and looked up to see Vali talking to Hela. Odin had told the children, informally, of Hela and Vali's betrothal. The formal announcement would come upon Vali's return from his coming-of-age quest. They were both now looking upon one another with the eyes of lovers, nervous, and forced even, but lovers none the less. Time was running out.

XxXxXxXxXx

Valeria let her fingers dance across the spines of spell books as she wandered through her favorite part of the palace library. She practically lived here. And who could blame her? She was still sharing a nursery room with her sister Hela. But that was going to change soon, and not for reasons she liked. She plucked a random book from off the shelf to read and headed for the door.

"Your jealousy is going to be your undoing." Loki said out of the blue. He was at a table surrounded by books on all manner of topics. Something from each of the nine realms. Midgard in particular.

"What father?" Valeria asked as she walked towards him.

"Sit with me." He said. Valeria pulled back a chair feeling a lecture coming. Her father seemed pensive of late, and she wasn't sure why. Though she suspected the betrothal announcement had something to do with it.

"I know what you are going through Valeria. I went through the same thing. Talk to me." Loki said. His green eyes bore into hers, eyes shaped like hers. His face was slender and angular like hers, and framed in that same black curtain of hair. Was he really a Jotunn? And she? Was she really a Halfling monster too?

"You grew up knowing you would never be King. People compare you to Uncle Thor all the time, but you never get bitter about it. How do you manage that?"

"With love and patience Valeria. Hela is like your uncle in many ways. She's golden, athletic, and popular. She's everything you're not." Loki said. Valeria, ever much his daughter, stuck her chin out and pressed her thin lips together to keep from crying.

"That does not mean that you are nothing. You are powerful my little one, in all the ways your sister is not. She can be rash and even arrogant at times, and I know her friends only pretend to like you. Do not turn on your sister. Family is everything Valeria. You need to remember that. Hatred, bigotry, and jealousy are the most dangerous weapons our enemies have. They can tear this family asunder far more effectively than any blade or poison ever could. Choosing hate instead of love will be this family's undoing. We are our own worst enemies. If Asgard should ever fall, it will be because this family did not unite as a family should. I know you are disappointed that you will not be Queen. I know you held affection in your heart for your cousin Vali. You must find a new purpose for your life going forward as I did. You may feel lost for a little while, and that is alright. Your path will appear before you one day, you merely need to be open to it when it arrives."

"Did giving birth to Sleipnir hurt?" Valeria asked. Loki's jaw dropped and his eyes whizzed back and forth as he scanned his daughter for her intentions. How long has she known?

"Who told you?"

"People talk, and they often do it when they think no one is listening. Least of all, a little girl." She said. Loki sat there, contemplating his next words very carefully, but Valeria spoke again.

"Am I really a Jotunn?" She asked, her voice cracking for fear of the answer. Loki looked around, noting that they were alone.

"Yes."

"What will happen if people ever find out?" Valeria asked.

"They won't. You were born with this skin color. The people will never know." Loki said.

"But if the truth comes out?"

"If the truth comes out, you are protected. It is why Vali was always destined to wed either you or Hela. Whether by blood or marriage, our place in this family is assured."

"Who is Hela's father?" Valeria asked.

"Enough. You will not ask me that again, and you would do well, to _not_ go digging." Loki said. It was a threat, but an empty one, they both knew.

"Yes father." Valeria got up to leave.

"Valeria." Loki called to her. She looked back at him with a blank expression. "Always choose love, my little darling." He said. She nodded and left. She walked the long halls back to her room contemplating her father's words, but also the political implications of the truth ever being exposed. The distance was far too short to meet her needs.

In her room with Hela, there was a thick smell of sweat combined with leather and rose essence. Hela was back from training. Valeria sneered as she walked around the heap of muddy leathers in the middle of the floor. It was like living with a man!

"Sister!" Hela greeted as she came out of the bathroom soaking wet and wrapped in a towel.

"Do you always have to leave your things where I will trip over them?" Valeria snipped.

"Yes, if only to irritate you so." Hela said with a cheeky smile, earning her a simmering glare.

"Oh relax. The servants will take care of it. Come out with me to the market. The fabric vendor and the cobbler both have new imports from Alfheim." Hela said, tempting her sister.

"We don't need new shoes or dresses."

"It's not about needs, it's about looking at pretty things we don't already own. Come with me! Pleeease?"

"Shouldn't you be studying your magic weavings with grandmother?"

"Yes. If you come dress shopping with me, I promise to keep my side of the room clean for an entire week." Hela said, and then locked eyes with Valeria in a staring contest. Valeria huffed and rolled her eyes.

"I hate you." Valeria said, but a small smile crept over her lips and Hela knew she'd won her over. Hela squealed in delight and ran into the closet to find something to wear. "You're are insufferable and irritating when you get your way." Valeria said.

"I love you too." Hela said.


	24. Chapter 24

**Some of you may want to go back and re-read Chapter 18.**

"One of the things you'll want in your pack is a ball of pitch. I recommend you gather some as soon as you reach your destination. It lights easily and will stay that way even if it rains." Thor said to Vali. Vali's 18th name day was soon, and Odin had summoned the young man to court and charged him with the quest. Thor knew, this might be the last time he'd ever speak with his son. Before Vali's return, Thor, Loki, and Hela would be gone.

"Father?"

"Yes son?"

"I am to marry Hela."

"Yes." Thor said. He looked up from the blade he'd been sharpening to look at him. "How do you feel about her?"

"I love her, but I don't love her like that." Vali said.

"What of Valeria?" Thor asked.

"I don't want her either." He said.

"Who do you want?" Thor asked.

"Mildred, the baker girl in the kitchens." Vali said.

"I am sorry son, but no. Not at first at least. Perhaps one day you can keep her as a mistress, but for now you must focus on your official courtship." Thor said.

"Do you have a mistress?" Vali asked.

"No." Thor said.

"It feels wrong to touch her." Vali said of Hela. "I can't explain it."

"Whomever you marry will be the future Queen of Asgard. She cannot be a simple baker girl. Valeria has the qualifications to rule. You should try to get to know your cousin a little better." Thor said.

"Why? Grandfather is making me marry Hela."

"Never mind son." Thor said. Valeria and Hela came into the training yard then, wearing their new dresses they'd bought the previous day. Hela looked lovely as ever in her new white gown with golden embroidery. She looked like a bride, and perhaps that was the point. Valeria was wearing a purple gown that accented her pale skin and rosy cheeks. The lavender shade complemented her black hair, making her look regal, like a Queen. Which Thor mused, had also been the point. There was no missing the desire in Valeria's gaze when she looked at Vali. And there was no missing the uncomfortable awkwardness between Vali and Hela.

"My ladies, you both look amazing." Vali said. His eyes lingered on Hela's full breasts for a millisecond too long, and he blushed when he met her gaze. Hela pretended that she didn't notice him doing it. Valeria did notice, and she did her best to lean forward and not too subtly press her breasts together with her arms. Thor had to suppress a smile and a laugh at the girl's expense. It was rare to see Valeria stumble in social graces such as this. But the girl was smitten, and less self-aware at the moment, he could see.

"Thank you Vali." Valeria said a little too seductively. It made the men cringe, and Hela glared at her. Valeria blushed, pressing her lips together and frowning. Thor could already see the girl was cursing herself inside of her own head for acting like a lovesick fool. He was psychic like that, at least when it came to Loki, or Loki-esqe creatures like his daughter.

"Um, Hela would you like to go for a walk with me?" Vali asked. Thor coughed and cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry son, but there is no time for that. You have to prepare for your journey tomorrow. Courtship can wait until you've returned." Thor said.

"Yes father." Vali said. Valeria turned and took off on her own without uttering a word. None of them called after her either. They were glad the embarrassing moment had ended. She made her way back to her room, flinging open the door and marching into the nursery. Again, in the middle of the floor, was Hela's muddy leathers.

"Filthy pig!" Valeria yelled out to the empty room. Hela's promise from yesterday hadn't even lasted 24 hours. If it weren't for the servants, they would live in squalor. Even Hela's desk was cluttered and unorganized. It was piled high with spell books that she wanted to read but never got around to. Valeria had half a mind to call a servant to collect them all and take them back to the library. She snatched one out of the pile.

"Sister you are a strange creature." Valeria muttered as she looked at the red leather bound tome entitled, _Demons and Creatures of the Underworld_. Hela had always had a curious obsession with all things morbid. She tossed the book back onto the desk, sneering.

"Oath breaker." Valeria said. She got a naughty idea then, to get revenge on her lazy unkempt sister. She opened Hela's jewelry box and pulled out her favorite ring.

"You won't look so pretty with your face covered in bursting pustules." She giggled to herself. If she couldn't outright plot a coup, she could at least delight in a petty prank.

XxXxXxXx

Hela, finding herself alone, took the opportunity to sneak away to her favorite place to meet with one of her "special" friends. Through the royal garden she ran, to the dark orchard where the dead waited to speak with her. She'd learned far more about Asgard's history listening to their stories than to her governess or reading books. In fact, she found many of the history books in the palace library wanting for detail and perspective. Some topics, were outright falsehoods, like why Asgard went to war with Jotunnheim the year her Uncle Thor was born.

"Hello child." Said the Thor look-alike spirit. He had to be a dead relative, but in all the years they've been conversing, the man had never been able to utter his name. It was as though he'd forgotten it, or could not speak it to the living.

"Hello Ancestor." Hela called him. "How far thee in the land of the dead this day?"

"Not well child. I am in need of your aid. Have you been practicing the spells I recommended?"

"Yes."

"I would like you to demonstrate."

"But if I summon a demon and fail to control it, I could put you in danger. Are you not afraid?"

"I am a warrior child. I have courage enough. If you succeed, I'll reward you for being a good student."

"Oh! A reward? What is it?" Hela asked, preening. The spirit chuckled.

"All in good time child. Now, show me your power and potential." He said in a light challenge. Hela took a deep breath and cleared her mind. Straightening her back and concentrating, she muttered the ancient words that called to The Gap, the great void, the darkness from which all things came and would ultimately return.

The air crackled and darkened. The mist in the orchard grew thick. The shadows around her felt tangible, like velvet and writhed and lurched at her words. The snarl of a beast echoed from some unseen place. Then it was there.

Unlike her translucent friend, this creature was solid and could bleed. It's red eyes locked onto her and it pawed at the ground, preparing to charge. Yellow glop dribbled from its mouth and landed in the dirt in a lumpy puddle. Its tongue, long and slender, whipped out of its mouth like a snake to taste the air. Hela opened her eyes, and stared down the beast.

"Sit." She commanded in a voice that reverberated beyond the realm of the living. The beast shrieked, as though pained, and jerked forward. Hela jumped to her feet.

"You. Will. Sit." Her voice boomed. The demon shrieked once more and its hind legs crumpled, bending to her will.

"Marvelous. You have the gift." The spirit said. "Now send it back." He said. Hela did so, with less effort than required to summon it, and the demon disappeared, growling as it went.

"How was that?" Hela asked.

"Perfection. You have earned your reward." He said. Hela giggled with delight, excited to find out what it would be.

"Beneath the rock on which you sit is an ancient artifact. Dig it up and wear it tonight for all to admire." He said.

"Ancient artifact? Does it do anything?" Hela asked.

"It does, but you will not find out until tomorrow at sunrise."

"It won't interfere with my trip will it? Father and uncle are taking me on a tour of the realms while Vali is away. They say I am skilled enough as a warrior that I merit a quest and helmet of my own."

"They are right, and you will wear a helmet one day, that displays your power and status. It will be the envy of the realms."

"Telling me my future?"

"Perhaps. Safe journey princess."

 **Stay tuned. Some serious shit is about to go down.**


	25. Chapter 25

**Posted two chapters today, make sure you read both.**

Frigga felt jittery. Her weavings were all over the place and she could not make sense of them. The only thing that was clear, was that death and doom was coming. The entire family was in peril and she could not name the source or cause.

She needed to delay Vali's journey. It was the only idea that brought her a sense of calm. She hurried to the feasting hall to speak with Odin about her concerns when she ran into Hela in the hall.

"Grandmother, you look worried. What is wrong?" She asked. Hela was dressed in Thor's shade of red and around her neck was a giant red stone. She'd never seen the girl wear it before. It was enchanting.

"Oh, um, nothing child. You look ravishing this evening. So grown up. I hear your father and uncle are taking you out tomorrow?"

"Yes, they want me to see the beasts up close so that I might choose which one to kill. Uncle Thor also said he'd give me some tips on how to take each one down."

"That sounds wonderful. The three of you will have a lot of fun." Frigga smiled. Her eyes locked on the stone again.

"Which beast do you think Vali will choose to hunt?" Hela asked.

"Vali? Um…where is he going?"

"On the quest of course."

"Quest?"

"Grandmother are you well?"

"Yes of course. Why do you ask?"

"Um, never mind. Vali's leaves on his quest tomorrow."

"Oh yes. Right. Right."

"Where were you going? I'll walk you there." Valeria offered.

"I forget. Oh well, it must not have been important. Let's get to the feasting hall. It's almost time for supper." Frigga said. Hela watched her grandmother out of the corner of her eye. Frigga was not known to be senile. If her strange behavior persisted she would inform the palace healers. They got there early, beating most of the royal family. But Odin was there and some of the warriors were already there. Hela felt their eyes on her. She felt hyperaware and wasn't sure if the stone was to blame, or if it was merely her own excitement.

Thor, Sif, and Vali arrived followed by Loki, Sigyn, and Valeria. The feast kicked off, and everyone reveled in the merriment. Well, most of them did. Loki seemed to be in a somber mood, while Thor stayed glued to Vali's side. The great blonde god looked near to tears the entire night. He was a man filled with fatherly pride. Loki kissed Sigyn repeatedly and held her hand.

"Sweetheart, what is wrong?" Sigyn asked Loki.

"Nothing love. Our children are grown, and soon they will have children of their own. My father's age is showing. A lot of change is about to come to Asgard."

"You say that with such melancholy. I never thought you to be so sentimental." Sigyn said.

"I am when it comes to you. You have been my greatest friend. My life would have been a living hell had I married anyone else."

"You bet your ass it would've been." Sigyn said laughing.

"If anything ever happens to me, promise me you'll move on. I want you to be happy." Loki said. Sigyn assessed her husband, feeling foreboding tighten in her chest.

"Is something going to happen? You're acting very strange tonight. Is there something you need to tell me?" Sigyn asked. Loki shook his head.

"No. I am just not ready to give my daughter away is all." Loki said.

"Oh darling, don't cry." Sigyn said, using her thumb to wipe away the errant tear that escaped Loki's eye. "You and Thor will have a great time with Hela on your trip tomorrow."

"Yes, yes of course." Loki said with a small smile. He got up, taking Sigyn's hand and led her out of the hall to make love to her one last time. And once asleep, he'd write the letter, confessing the truth. That he and Thor were lovers. That Hela was Thor's daughter. That the three of them were now on the run and that in all likelihood they would never return to Asgard. That he'd lied to her their entire marriage, and that he did not blame her for hating him.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

It was still dark outside when Hela rose. The dark starry sky was already giving way to the dark purple, that would then turn pink, and then orange before the sun broke over the mountains. She dressed quickly, but paused to mull over which jewelry to wear on her trip. She put on her new necklace of course and decided that her matching ruby ring would complement it nicely.

"Mmmm…." Valeria stirred and sat up, looking bedraggled and sleepy.

"Hurry up. We need to meet Vali at the gatehouse for his send off." Hela said. Valeria rubbed the sleep from her eyes and rose. It was when she spotted what Hela was wearing, that she smiled.

"You look lovely today sister." Valeria said.

"Thank you." Hela smiled, unaware of the red spots forming on half of her face. Valeria pulled on a dress and slipped on her shoes, and they were out the door. They walked the dark halls towards the front of the palace to join their family.

Loki saw his daughters approaching and smiled. But the smile fell away from his face as he saw the state of Hela's skin. One half of her was pock marked, and the other was turning blue.

"Hela?" Thor said her name, as shock came over his face. Just as Hela and Valeria reached them the sun broke over the hills and struck the stone around her neck.

Fire. Searing flesh. Screaming and pain. So much pain. No oxygen. No reprieve. Flames inside her mouth. Inside her lungs. Many hands were on her, and magic permeated her every pore. Her left arm blistered and then charred as her right turned blue and iced over. Flesh separated from bone.

Then the pain was gone. She was falling, as though she'd entered the Bifrost. Stars and darkness rushed past her. Before she could piece together a single thought, she landed at the bottom of an abyss.

"Welcome to the wilderness." A familiar voice said. Hela was lying flat on her face. Beneath her was soft earth with a comforting smell. She moved to rise, hearing her body make noises like roasted rib being cut away from a cooked carcass. She looked at her burned arm and screamed.

"I need a healer! I need a healer!"

"The dead do not need healers Hela." The man said. Hela looked up at him. He looked different now, more solid. She noticed her surroundings were somewhat familiar. The mist and the strange trees told her she was in the dark orchard, or perhaps some place like it.

"You. You killed me." Hela said.

"Yes."

"Why?" Hela asked.

"I know you see what I have done as a betrayal and for that I am sorry."

"WHY?!" Hela felt power surge through her and she cast out her good arm and with thought alone, drew the man's massive form to her. Her hand wrapped around his neck and she squeezed.

"So that I might I have a Queen that I may serve. The people of the wilderness need you Hela. The demons hunt us. Even now, they feast upon the souls of those excluded from Valhalla. We have no place to go."

"Who are you?"

"I was Prince Baldur, brother of Thor. I died in battle many years ago." He said.

"You're my uncle? If you died in battle, why aren't you in Valhalla?"

"The nature of my death was shameful. I was denied entry. So were my men." Baldur said. More souls appeared from the mist. At first warriors but then more. So many more. Women, children, legions of people found unworthy of Odin's strict requirements.

"The people of the wilderness need you my Queen. With that stone, and your practiced hand you have the power to hold dominion over the demons that pray upon us. You have the power to create a kingdom." Baldur said.

"Please my Queen! Please save us!" A woman called out. Then they kneeled, all of them.

"But my family! My life!" Hela cried.

"You will see them again, my Queen. But not yet."


	26. Chapter 26

SMACK! The sound vibrated off the walls. Over and over Loki's hand made contact with Valeria's face. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her as he screamed.

"Why?! Why?! You selfish girl!" Loki felt Thor's grip on his shoulders pulling him away from his daughter.

"YOU MURDERED HER!" Loki screamed.

"I didn't! I swear I didn't!" Valeria cried.

"Lies!"

"I only enchanted her ring to make her ugly. It was just a trick!" Valeria said. Frigga was bent over Hela's body, examining her. The stone she'd been wearing was gone, but the ring was still there. Frigga pulled it from Hela's charred finger and inspected it. Valeria was telling the truth, at least about the ring. She ran her hand over Hela's form and Loki's seidr leapt out at her. Hela was unrecognizable now. Her Aesir half had been burnt away, unable to stave off the flames. Her Jotun half was now visible after a lifetime of hiding underneath Loki's magic. She looked so different with blue skin and black hair. Her red eye was now cloudy with death.

Frigga had seen magical mishaps before. Two spells clashing causing disastrous results, but not like this. Still, there was no other explanation for what had gone wrong, short of Valeria being every bit as evil as Loki accused her of being.

"Enough!" Odin bellowed. Healers swarmed the body to take it away and prepare it for the funeral pyre.

"Frigga my love, what have you found?" Odin asked.

"The ring was cursed with only a simple skin enchantment, as Valeria said. Hela's skin was also enchanted with a camouflage to hide her Jotun half. I suspect the two magics clashed, causing Hela's skin to catch fire. It was an accident."

"No! I don't believe it!" Loki said, glaring at his daughter. "You were always jealous of her. I never thought you would do this! You…" Loki collapsed into Thor's arms. Sigyn went to her daughter's side, fearing a punishment from Odin. Vali and Sif stood by, crying.

"Vali your quest is delayed until after Hela's funeral. Upon your return I'll announce your engagement to Valeria." Odin said, sounding cold. He turned his one eye on the girl.

"As for you. I think it is high time the people of Asgard learned the truth about you." Odin said.

"What do you mean?" Sigyn asked.

"Half of the palace staff have seen Hela's body. Word will get out and the people will demand an explanation. The time has come to tell the people the truth about Loki's origins, and by extension, yours." Odin waved his hand and Valeria felt heat creep up her feet and fingertips. Her hands were turning blue.

"No! No! No!" Valeria cried out as she felt the change take hold. Unlike Hela's camouflage, Odin was calling on Valeria's inner nature to come out for the first time. In Thor's arms, Loki changed as well.

"She was never blue." Loki said when he looked at her.

"She is now." Odin said. "The funeral will take place at sunset." He said and stormed off.

"Daddy!" Valeria called out to Loki.

"No. I know it was you." Loki said.

"Loki, it was an accident. I tested the magic residuals on Hela's body myself. These things do happen." Frigga said, but Loki would not hear her. He looked at Sif and Vali.

"My poor boy, look upon your future wife, and know her to be a foul and sinister creature unworthy of trust. If I were you, I'd watch my back the entirety of my marriage. Once she births you a son, she'll have no use for you." Loki said and walked away, with Thor chasing his heels.

"Daddy! Daddy!" Valeria called after Loki. Sigyn held her daughter to her chest, failing to keep back her own tears. Her family was in shambles. One daughter dead, the other disowned by her husband, and she alone to mend what was left.

Sif and Vali left to mourn by themselves and talk about the future. Sigyn, Valeria, and Frigga returned to Sigyn's chambers to cry together, while Thor and Loki went somewhere private. Alone in the throne room, Odin sat with his ravens. No one heard him when he cried.

XxXxXxXxXx

It rained in Asgard. So much so that it almost interfered with Hela's funeral, but Thor kept it together long enough to allow the boat to burn. The people were shocked by Hela's sudden unexplained death. Their king had said that is was an accident caused by a conflict between Hela's seidr and Hela's Jotun ice magic. That revelation would not have been believed were it not for Loki and Valeria both standing on the dais with skin as blue as a summer sky.

Loki was a prince of Jotunnheim! Laufey's son. He was the rightful heir to their throne, and Hela and Valeria were also by extension. The people understood, without the King explaining, what his intensions were in raising Loki as his own.

Like Loki, the people had their own suspicions about Valeria. She benefited the most from Hela's death and everyone knew Hela was the favorite to wed Vali. Valeria looked out upon an ocean of distrustful eyes. Those that would meet hers, that is. Many looked away from her, horrified by her new Jotunn skin.

Loki swayed in the breeze, half from drunkenness and the other exhaustion. He was dehydrated from crying and overheated as well. When the boat sank beneath the water, Loki collapsed onto the stairs in a fit of tears. Thor scooped him up and took him back into the palace. When the men fell asleep drunk in each other's arm on couch in Sif's parlor, no one questioned it. When this happened every night for a week solid, no one said a word. They weren't the only ones with odd mourning practices. Vali took Hela's ring, now washed clean of magic, and wore the dainty feminine object on his pinky finger. To keep her memory. Valeria chopped off her gorgeous black hair, making her even more unattractive. Her transformation into a monster was complete. Sigyn vowed to keep all other sharp objects away from her and took to sleeping in bed with Valeria just to keep an eye on her. Sif burned herself out in the training fields. And Sleipnir kept breaking out of the stables and running into the royal garden, looking for Hela.

"She's not here child." Frigga said when she spied her grandson entering the dark orchard. "I had the same idea too. This place belongs to the dead. I thought I could find her here." She said. Sleipnir got close and sniffed at Frigga's hair. He couldn't speak and she felt sad for him.

"She loved this place. The dead, she was always so strangely comfortable about the subject. I wonder if she sensed her destiny…dying young. She had so much potential! She would've been a queen for the ages!" Frigga wept into her gathered skirts. Sleipnir nuzzled her neck to comfort her. She looked up at him and smiled.

"You're such a sweet boy. My husband Odin thinks the world of you, you know. He thinks you are the finest horse in all the kingdom. Everyone will think of Hela when they look at you now. Will you keep him company? I'm worried about him." Frigga asked. Sleipnir whinnied and shook his head yes.

"Good boy. Come, I think some sugar cubes are in order don't you?"

XxXxXxXxXxXx

"I can't control them all! There are too many!" Hela yelled to Baldur.

"You must! It is the only way!" Baldur swung his blade to fell another demon. He defeated the creature but there were so many more, and his fellow warriors, the shamed ones unfit for Valhalla were not all so skilled as he. Hela looked around her. The demons were feasting. She'd summoned them all to her. In her hubris she thought she could make them all do her bidding.

The souls of the innocents, children, old women, ordinary Asgardians from all walks of society that had died at any and every stage of life were being hunted and consumed. This was not the afterlife she'd been raised to believe in. This was not the golden hall of feasting and fun. This was hell and the innocent had been left to fend for themselves while only those meeting Odin's strict requirements found the safety of eternity in his vaulted club. Never before had Hela questioned her grandfather's politics. Not when she was alive. Not when it mattered. Even in death, it mattered still.

"I can't do it!" Hela cried.

"Then we perish!" Baldur said looking ready to accept the end of his very existence as another demon charged him. A little boy ran towards her, his arm outstretched as the red eyed beast with a whipcord tongue charged at his heels. He never reached Hela. Long dagger teeth sunk into his torso and yanked him back away from her, swallowing him whole.

For the first time in her life, the ice magic of her Jotunn heritage spilled forth. In her anguish and distress it flowed forth like The River Stix. She couldn't control them all, but she could feel them. She could feel the heartbeat of every single beast. Ice raced up their haunches, one by one, encasing them. Battle axes and clubs swung in the air. The smashing of each frozen statue was a victory. The tiny pieces of icy demon flesh became so numerous it was as gravel upon the ground. Cheers increased as each one was destroyed. When there was only one left, a soldier raised his battle axes to decapitate it.

"Stop!" Hela yelled. The people turned to look at her. Each pair of eyes demanded explanation.

"Why? It is the last one." Balder asked.

"Precisely. It is the last one. And I can control it. It will be my pet and my punisher. Those souls who lead truly miserable, cruel, and wretched lives will find their end in the jaws of this beast. He will be all that remains of the hell that was the wilderness." Hela said. She looked around her at her newfound kingdom.

With a wave of her hand she parted away the mist. Separating the darkness from the light, a never before seen sun illuminated a bright blue sky. Ice spires grew up behind her forming into the shape of a chair. She sat down. The chair grew in size and ornateness until it became a proper throne. More ice spires grew up from the ground, forming walls.

"I dub this land Helheim. My kingdom. Let all souls here today find eternal respite and comfort. Let all future souls face my judgement, and know that I am their Queen who will never forsake them."

XxXxXxXxXx

It had been two months since Hela's death. Loki hadn't slept in his chambers since that day. He'd been unable to look at his daughter without hatred, knowing what she'd done. He could not blame Sigyn for standing by her side. She believed Frigga. Loki wanted believe Frigga too, but Valeria was so like him. After weeks of crying, there were no tears left. He was numb. He was dead inside, and he needed to leave.

It was still raining. It was light and steady, a reprieve from the near hurricane storms surrounding the funeral. It was nighttime, but the frequent lightning flashes illuminated the dark. The thunder was ever constant.

Loki knew Thor was behind him. They hadn't spoken about their plan to leave Asgard since Hela's death. They'd simply grieved. But in the rain, Loki could sense the moment had come and he feared that the crazy idea Thor had concocted weeks before would now be abandoned.

"I'm empty." Loki said. Thor walked up beside him, quiet and contemplative. He walked at a stroll. His body language was light and easy and there was serenity in him Loki had not seen in him since boyhood. He looked at him out of the corner of his eyes, feeling wonder. Some sort of great epiphany had clearly overtaken the thunderer.

"I'm full. Full of regrets. Full of sadness. But I am full of hope too Loki. I am full of love. Vali is a man grown. I have done my duty as his father and can leave him without guilt or remorse. I will miss him, and if I am lucky I will see him again one day soon."

"You say that with such ease. You cannot have gotten over our daughter's death so quickly." Loki said, accusing.

"I am numb I suppose. For the moment at least. It comes in waves. I suspect you are the same."

"Aye."

"I'm leaving."

"I'm coming with you." Loki said.

"Are you sure you can? What of Valeria? We don't know if the girl is guilty or innocent but she is your child. If you leave now, with things in the state they are currently in you may never find peace."

"I'll never find peace if I stay here. I need distance and time. I need you. I need love. And for a while I need to forget until I have to remember."

"So be it. Have you a letter for your wife?" Thor asked.

"Aye. I left it where she will find it. You?"

"Aye." Thor said. The men finally turned to look at one another. Thor had never really thought of Loki in feminine terms before. For the first time, he saw in his love, the broken heart of a mother who'd lost her baby. He pulled Loki into his arms and kissed him as a lover kisses, with the agony of loss threaded through the comfort. Fingers threaded also, entwined together, entwined in hair. Hot breaths mingled and exchanged. Lips became swollen and puffy as passion and need thrummed through them. It wasn't joyful. It wouldn't be joyful for a long time. But it was what they needed.

From the palace, the kiss was witnessed by no less than 2 pairs of eyes, and a raven circled overhead.


	27. Chapter 27

Vali gripped the railing as he watched his father thrust his tongue into his uncle's mouth. Thor's hands threaded through black hair, then cupped buttocks and back. Revulsion, revelation, and bile arose in him. His father's odd comments about ergi men made sense, and more as the truth of Hela's paternity shot through him like an arrow. He knew, deep in his soul, that Hela was his sister. Horrified he turned around, to flee the balcony. But Valeria blocked his way.

"No. Whatever you are thinking, whatever it is you plan to do, don't. Not a word to anyone, Vali. You can't tell anyone."

"You knew?"

"No. I am having the revelation just as you are. But **think** Vali! What would grandfather do if he found out about them? We have already lost Hela. Do you want your father to be put to death? Or my father? You mustn't utter a word to anyone."

"But they're ergi! With each other! It's incest! It's monstrous! It's against the law!"

"My father and your father share no blood. They are not monsters."

"Said the Jotunn freak that murdered her own sister." Vali said.

"Hela was a Jotunn freak too Vali. She was your sister, and you loved her. Do you not love your father also? Do you want to see him executed? Do you?"

"I…"

"Stripped of power and shamed before the kingdom before dying a humiliating death? Think Vali. Choose love. Please. Our family won't survive this if you talk."

"It's disgusting. Doesn't it bother you that your father is cheating on your mother? With… He's cheating on my mother. He's breaking her heart! He's the one who is throwing love away!"

"Oh please. Vali half the kingdom knows your mother is fucking Hogun." She said. It was a lie. It was a bald faced lie. No one knew. Except Sif, Hogun, and Valeria.

"You lying bitch!" Vali reared his arm back to swing, but the sound of the very earth breaking open and trembling like an earthquake disrupted all action and thought. Munnin landed on the railing next to Vali and squawked at them.

"No." Valeria whispered.

Thor went flying through the air as though snatched by an invisible hand. Mjolnir was attached at his hip and being called back to the hand of the Allfather. His large frame smashed through walls as his golden aura drained from his body. He landed at his father's feet, bloodied and weakened. Odin stood before him with Mjolnir in hand. His heart full of rage and full of disgust.

"I didn't want to believe it. I should have trusted my instincts, but I never imagined that you could be so depraved."

"I'm depraved? Fuck you. Kill me if you find me so shameful, for I have loved more greatly than you could ever dream!" Thor yelled at him, laughing with an unhinged insanity that a lifetime of oppression and sorrow had wrought. Odin growled and swung Mjolnir wide, striking Thor in the head. It crushed his cheekbone and broke his jaw.

"No!" Frigga ran towards her son, but Odin would allow no aid to his disowned son. He aimed his staff at his wife. From his lips came the spell to bind her from using her own magic. She fell to her knees screaming as golden bands encircled her wrists and ankles.

Soldiers flooded into the throne room, ready to fight for their king. What they saw shook them to their core.

"Take my wife to her chambers and keep her there. She is not to be left alone under any circumstances. As for him, take him to the dungeons. And Loki as well. Gather the rest of the royal family and bring them to me." Odin ordered.

Loki ran. Not away to hide, but towards the danger. He didn't know if Odin planned to kill Thor outright in this moment. In his head, Loki made the quiet decision, that if Thor died he would too. The guards came, and though they were his countrymen they were now the enemy. He tore into them one by one, but there were too many. He used magic to out maneuver and evade, but their vast numbers eventually encircled him. His throwing dagger came into contact with blade after blade until he realized he was trapped, and he stopped moving.

"My prince. You killed 18 of my men." The Captain of the Guard said.

"My apologies. I'll get to the rest of you in short order." Loki said, panting. The Captain walked up and punched him in the face, knocking him out. Loki was carried down to the dungeons and placed in a cell alone.

The rest of the royal family was collected, though finding them was not hard. They were all on their way to the throne room, having heard the commotion. In Sigyn's hand, was the letter Loki had written her.

"What has happened?" Sif asked, bewildered and ignorant.

"Tomorrow morning Vali and Valeria will wed. Immediately after the vows there will be a public bedding ceremony, and afterwards an execution."

"Execution? Of whom?" Sif asked.

"Of your husband and his lover." Odin said.

"I don't understand? I am hurt that he kept a mistress but he is not the first to do so. Why is he being executed?" Sif asked.

"Because!" Vali interrupted with tears in his eyes. "Because he's ergi! He's been fucking Uncle Loki! Hela! He's Hela's father! She was my sister Mama! I was going to marry and fuck my own sister!"

"No! No it's not true. It can't be true." Sif said, not wanting to accept the truth. But Sigyn, standing beside her, handed her the letter from Loki that she'd found. Sif's hand flew to her mouth as she read the damning confession of her husband's ergi incestuous relationship with his brother. It was no wonder now why the two of them had been eager for Valeria to marry Vali, over Hela. They shared no blood.

Sigyn felt the betrayal wash over her afresh. It like Loki's first heat all over again, discovering he'd found intimacy in the arms of another. She saw now, all the similarities that Thor and Hela shared. Their laughs and mannerisms. Their personalities. Even their fighting styles. It was so obvious, and she felt a fool. The letter contained a detailed timeline. They'd been fucking since adolescence. Her entire marriage was a lie.

"You are all under house arrest until the end of the day tomorrow." Odin said. They all protested, and begged the Allfather to reconsider.

"I will not have mutiny within my house!" Odin bellowed. The guards came. Sif and Vali were led back to their chambers and Sigyn with Valeria.

"Where is my father?" Valeria asked.

"In the dungeons, with Thor. They burn at sunset."


	28. Chapter 28

No one slept. Fear and sorrow plagued everyone. At dawn the palace seamstress visited Valeria to whip together a quick wedding dress. All the palace servants were making ready for a day that should have been joyous. Outside, wood was being piled high around two stakes. They say Jotunns don't burn, but that's not true. Their ice can protect them for a time, but eventually they burn like everything else.

A veil was made to hide the hack job Valeria had done on her hair. She looked lovely, in spite of everything but she was not concerned about the wedding in the slightest.

"I'm not going through with this. I won't do it." Valeria said.

"Your grandfather has gone mad. You must. Do not put yourself in harm's way for nothing. You've always wanted to marry Vali. Why throw that away now? Doing so will not save your father, and would put you danger."

"I can't just go along like I condone all of this mother!" Valeria screeched.

"Do you not care for me at all? Would you have me stand by and watch as another one of my children is killed before me? I'll have sorrow enough this day come nightfall. Without you I'll have nothing left to live for. Please. Do not do anything foolish today."

They sat in silence then, for hours. They looked out the window as the woodpile grew. Twice Valeria vomited from nerves. When it was time for the ceremony a parade of guards led them to the main hall.

The people of Asgard were quiet. It was not revered silence so much has a mixture of sorrow and horror. The news that Thor, their beloved prince would be executed had not sat well with the people. Many of them could not believe that he was sexual deviant and that he'd carried out his crimes with the Jotunn raised to be his brother. But Odin himself had declared it so.

Vali looked pale as he stood beside Odin on the dais. With a slight sway in his body it was obvious he'd been drinking. A quick scrubbing and cup of coffee was used to hide his inebriated state. Like Valeria his eyes were puffy from crying. When Valeria stood beside him he studied her. The white fabric looked nice on her blue skin. Her ruby red eyes, while monstrous looked sad and not so frightening as usual. Her face was still her face under it all. Standing next to Hela, no one paid her any notice. But Valeria was actually a very pretty girl. Only now, with a belly full of mead, did he see it. Only now did he see the broken creature she'd become.

The people of Asgard noted the absence of the Allmother. The Goddess of marriage was not present at the wedding ceremony of her own grandchildren. It was a bad omen in the eyes of many, and a sign of the dissention within the house of Odin.

The children said their vows to a temple priest instead. The people cheered for their prince and princess when the ceremony ended and the two were ushered away to separate rooms. Valeria was guided to the viewing room. When she got there she saw half the nobility and a dozen guards all sitting and facing a bed. Her mother was not there, nor Sif. No one she trusted was there to comfort her or tell her what to do. A servant girl approached her.

"Princess. The Allfather instructed me to tell you to remove your clothes and to get into bed. Your husband will be along shortly."

"Right here?" Valeria's voice cracked. The servant girl looked away and nodded. Valeria walked to the bed. She felt so many eyes on her back, most of them unkind. They'd all come to see the prince rut his treacherous Jotunn bitch wife. Valeria stuck out her chin. She would not cry in front of these people.

She climbed into bed fully clothed and used the covers to protect her modesty as she removed her dress. She debated whether or not to remove her veil, but decided she needed to. Her chopped hair came into view and someone snickered at the appearance.

Vali was led to a side room where Odin met him, holding a goblet.

"Drink this." Odin said, shoving the drink into Vali's hand.

"What is it?" Vali asked. His eyes were distrusting and accusing.

"To help you perform. Drink it." Odin glare at him, daring the boy to defy him.

"I won't hurt her."

"I am merely ensuring you rise to the occasion. All things considered I thought you might not be in the mood." Odin said.

"I don't know you anymore. I don't think I ever knew you." Vali said and drank the tonic. Odin didn't respond. He waited, and took the empty cup away when Vali was done. Vali felt heat creeping up from his belly and then it spread out. He began to sweat and his lower abdomen twitched with a painless pang. His skin tingled and the slightest caress of his clothing set his loins on fire. His erection poked out from his trousers. Servants began undressing him then. His eyes went wide when they opened his trousers.

"Stop!"

"Well you can't fuck your wife with it tucked away boy. You have to remove your pants." Odin said. Vali blushed, being exposed in front of so many people. The servants carried on until he was naked.

"There's a lad. Now go in there and show the people how virial you are." Odin said. He opened the door to the viewing room and showed Vali inside. The first thing Vali noticed was all the people looking at him. The next thing he noticed was the guards, barring his exit. Then he noticed her. She was tucked up under the covers looking at him. His cock twitched at the sight of her. His balls began to ache. He shuffled to the bed and climbed in. She gathered more of the covers to herself, looking afraid. She smelled amazing.

"Choose love Vali, and be kind." She whispered. Vali grabbed her wrist.

"I wanted to tell you, that you looked really pretty today." He said and offered up the saddest smile he could muster. "They drugged me. I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Valeria said as a tear streamed down her face. "It'll be over quick and then we can be alone."

"Aye." They shifted and Vali rolled on top of her. He looked down into the garnet eyes of his new wife and kissed her. He breached her while she was distracted and she cried out into the kiss. Unlike Vali, she'd been given no tonic to help her achieve arousal. She was dry, and it hurt.

He rutted her hard, finding that instead of sating his desire the tonic amplified them. The more he rutted the more he wanted to rut. When he came the first time it was quick, but he never stopped, never slowed and so the people watching didn't know it had happened. He lasted for hours.

XxXxXxXxXx

Loki looked across the hall to Thor's cell. They looked at each other, though Thor could not speak. With his jaw broken, Loki did all the talking to distract them while they awaited their fate.

"I think I want to visit Midgard next year. I've always wanted to go. Someplace sunny with not a lot of people." Loki said. Thor smiled with his one good eye. The other was black and swollen shut. It was a fantasy and they both knew it. But the day was dragging on and they both could feel that something was about to happen. The regular guard patrol was missing and they could hear the sounds of the masses gathered upstairs.

"I don't know if our deaths will be slow or quick, but after, we'll have each other. We'll finally be together, and we will have eternity." Loki said.

"We'll get to see Hela! Won't that be wonderful? We'll be family again, like we were always meant to be."

"I love you Thor. I wish we'd been able to love each openly and as often as others do. Our stolen kisses were not enough. We could have had so much more."

"I'm not sorry though. Hopefully, we'll be able to hold hands." Loki said. They sat in silence, listening to various noises echo from the palace above. Finally, they heard the sound that they'd been waiting for. It was the sound of many soldier's footsteps, coming to remove them from their cells. Dread curled in their guts.

They came down the hall and stopped before them, lowering down the wall to remove them. Shackles were slapped on them both. So much for holding hands. They were marched up the stairs and outside to the yard where they saw the chosen apparatus of their death.

It was so noisy. There were so many people gathered to watch. Some were crying, some were mocking, some were pleading for mercy from the Allfather. Loki looked up and saw Sigyn on the balcony and he smiled at her with an apology in his eyes.

Sigyn fell to her knees and wept. She didn't hate him. She thought she would. She had hoped that maybe, her bitterness and jealousy would shield her heart from the grief and terror of his death. But she only felt love for him, and she too cried out for mercy.

Sif and Hogun appeared on Thor's balcony, holding one another as they watched their family, their princes, and their friends be led to their deaths. Loki and Thor were tied to the posts, with their chains still on them. The guards still feared them. Frigga was not present. It was a kindness of sorts, to not let her see her children when they burned.

From another balcony, Vali and Valeria emerged. Vali held her to his chest. She was so weak she could barely stand and he was to blame. He cradled her, angled her head so she could see her father. Seeing Thor there, bashed and bleeding, Vali regretted all the vile bigoted words that had ever flowed from his mouth. They weren't his words, they were Odin's, and he'd take them all back if he could. Valeria had been right. Mercy, love, and kindness. These were always preferable. When had Odin forgotten that?

Odin raised his hand and all went quiet.

"For the crime of incest and ergi relations, I sentence you, Thor, and you Loki…to death. Light the fires." Odin said. Soldiers held torches to the edges of the pyre and the kerosene used to soak the wood made the whole pile catch fire quickly. Thor screamed as his flesh charred.

Hogun lifted up his bow and unleashed an arrow at Thor's chest. It struck true in the center of Thor's heart, and his screaming stopped. Hogun lifted his bow and sent another arrow flying towards Loki, but the arrow bounced off Loki's chest. He'd encased himself in ice. The flames licked at him, melting him and dampening the fire. But the fire still burned, and at a slower temperature, Loki's death took far too long. When the last of the ice was gone, his skin blistered, then peeled away. He screamed and screamed, choking on smoke as he roasted. His body turned to charcoal, while Thor's turned to ashes.

In the dark orchard of the garden, the ground swelled and quaked. The Gap was open.

 **It's not over.**


	29. Chapter 29

"Where are we?" Loki asked. This was not Valhalla, nor was it any other placed recorded in Asgard's lore.

"We are dead, yes?" Thor asked.

"Judging by your appearance I'd say yes." Loki said.

"You're one to talk." Thor said. They both looked like charred corpses. They looked up and around at the ice city. Before them lay a palace that look very much like home. They walked towards it, and began to notice people the further in they went. Ghosts, spirits, and other poor souls all reflecting the manner of their deaths were watching them with mild curiosity. They reached the gates where there were guards standing watch.

"Hello! Could you tell us, where we are?" Loki asked.

"You are in the Kingdom of Helheim, city of the dead. All new arrivals must stand before Queen Hela for judgement. Enter."

"Queen Hela?" Thor asked.

"Oh Thor. Our daughter. She made this place." They walked into the palace, marveling at all the detail. Everything looked so pristine and new.

"I wonder, was all of this here before she died?" Thor asked.

"We'll have to ask her." Loki said. They walked the long corridor and as they reached the end they were able to make out the shape of their daughter sitting on her throne. They ran to her.

"Hela!" Loki cried out. But Hela did not recognize him. His voice was muddled by smoke and his body was unrecognizable. She treated him like a stranger.

"I am Queen, and you will kneel. Both of you. Now is the moment of your judgement. I pray you both lived good lives. Those I find wanting are given to my demon." She said, stroking the head of her pet. She'd named him Fenrir. Thor and Loki kneeled before her, worried. She looked just as she had when she died, half burnt and half blue. But there was a power to her now that she'd never before possessed when she was alive, and her one red eye glowed as she gazed at them.

"Daddy." Hela whispered as her father's entire life story opened up before her. All of his secrets were presented to her, and the one she did not expect shook her soul.

"Mother? Sleipnir! Oh. Why didn't you ever tell me? Papa. I knew there was a reason you were always my favorite, uncle." She said turning her eye to Thor. The memories went on, and she watched them all until the moment of her death, and then theirs. She'd never known her grandfather to be such a terrorist when she was alive. His politics and prejudices didn't just hurt the people of Asgard or the dead. He'd hurt his own family.

"No. He cannot win."

XxXxXxXxXxXx

Sigyn wailed. Loki's death had been far more horrific than she'd ever dare imagine. She passed out on the balcony. Vali came and deposited Valeria on her parent's bed. He found Sigyn and picked her up as well, placing her beside his wife. He left them to recover together, as he sought out his mother. He found her in Hogun's arms, crying on the bed. Valeria had been right about that too.

"Get out." Vali said.

"Son…"

"He is not a member of this family. You and I need to talk." Vali said.

"You want to kill Odin."

"Yep."

"You can't. He's too powerful, and it's too late."

"Don't care."

"Your father is gone. If you try to kill Odin now, you'll only be hurting yourself. You're his only heir, and all of these recent events have taken a toll on him. The Odinsleep is not far off. If he doesn't die outright, we can kill him then. Do not act rashly and take unnecessary risks."

"I have nothing to lose." He said.

"You have everything to lose, you idiot! Honestly son, have you learned nothing?"

"I learned there are things that are worse than dying, like standing by and doing nothing while my family burns alive."

"Do you want me to watch you burn as well?" Sif asked. "Have I not suffered enough?" She asked. Vali looked at Hogun.

"Look, I get why my mom's been cheating on my dad with you. But right now could you just go away. When you two get together, I don't want to know about it."

"We've always been discreet."

"Not discreet enough."

"What?" Sif asked. The conversation was disrupted then by a loud sound outside their chambers. The soldiers were screaming. Outside, there was chaos. They ran to the balcony to look outside. A white mist was flowing out from the royal garden into the square. They'd been invaded, but by what they could not tell. The army of the enemy was shrouded by the fog and hard to see.

"To the armory. We're under attack." Sif said. They used the secret escape paths meant for use by the royal family. Dark and narrow, it would have been difficult to navigate had they not familiarized themselves with the hallway over the years.

"I have to get to Sigyn and Valeria." Vali said. Sif handed him her sword.

"Good luck my son. Protect them well." She said and they split off. Vali made his way to his wife's chambers and found them still asleep in bed. They were too spent to be stirred by anything. Not even Ragnorak itself. He shoved furniture in the way, blocking the door as much as he could. Then he stood there, with his sword raised, ready to fight whatever might dare to break through.

The flowers in the garden where being watered with the blood of the dying. An army of the dead was spewing out of the crevice in the ground, with Hela leading the charge.

"Asgard. I'd forgotten how it looked." Baldur said.

"We must hurry. I cannot sustain this for long." Hela said. With each Einherjar that died, another soldier was added to her army. Her men could kill them, but the living could inflict no injury to the dead. It was all too easy.

The sound of a horse trotting turned their heads and Hela saw Sleipnir running towards her.

"Brother! Come, we'll ride into battle together to defeat grandfather." She mounted him and kicked her heels, ushering him to take off into the palace. She went to the throne room where she knew he'd be.

He was already surrounded by her men. Odin was flinging spells at them with one hand while swinging his sword with the other. It was no use. His spells only worked on the living. They were closing in, closer and closer as he fought to keep each one at bay. The King was panting and covered in sweat. He looked so old. He saw her then, and all his movements stilled. The shock in his eye said it all.

"Hela." Odin's sword slipped from his hand as he looked upon the Queen of the Dead. Hela dismounted and her men parted for her.

"Hello grandfather."

"Hela, my dear girl, how is it you are here?"

"With the power of rage and the need for vengeance." Hela said.

"Are Thor and Loki with you?" Odin asked.

"They'll be along shortly." She said. She made a move to punch him in the chest, only her hand didn't stop at the breast plate. Her hand went inside of him and it grabbed his heart and squeezed.

"I used to think you to be benevolent and kind. But you're only like that with your favorites. Enjoy Valhalla grandfather. None of the rest of the family will be visiting you." Hela said. From over her shoulder Baldur came, and Odin saw his boy.

"Baldur, my boy." He croaked out as his hands gripped Hela's forearm.

"Goodbye father. You'll not see me again." Baldur said.

"Forgive me, but I need to borrow this." Hela said. She closed her fist around Odin's heart and the Odin Force gathered in her palm. She ripped it from his body and the Allfather fell down dead.

"Quickly, where are their ashes?" Hela asked everyone.

"This way my Queen!" One of her men said. They hurried to the square where the smoke was still spiraling up from the woodpile. The wind picked up. Hela opened up her bloodied hand and the bright light of the Odin force floated like a sparkling diamond before her.

"Alright. Here we go." She said. Closing her eyes, she concentrated, splitting the Odin force in two. The ashes of the pyre gathered in the wind. A column of formed in front of Thor's stake, moving and shifting until it took on the shape of a person. On Loki's stake, the charcoal remains moved and twitched as pieces on the ground floated back up into place.

"Come back." She said. The two pieces of Odin force zoomed out of her hand into each form. Lightning cracked and the rain came. In the dark orchard two souls flew out of The Gap and into the resurrected princes. On the balcony, Vali stood watching the scene unfold.

"Sigyn, Valeria! Wake up! Wake up!"

In the weapons vault, Mjolnir took to flight. It smashed through several doors and smashed through a glass window before reaching the hand of her prince. Lightning struck again, this time hitting the posts. Loki's charcoal form transformed into luminescence. The princes of Asgard were reborn.

Hela felt her power fading. She'd used everything she had to right the wrong, and could not stay. Thor and Loki watched as ghost after ghost faded away until Hela was all that remained.

"Wait! Wait!" Sigyn cried out. She ran to Hela, but she wasn't fast enough.

"I love you Mama." Her voice echoed in the air, and she was gone.

"No! It's not fair!" Sigyn cried.

"Sigyn." Loki said. Her face went to his and relief flooded her. She flew into his arms, hugging and kissing him. He held her and stroked her hair. She'd endured so much already. Valeria and Vali came.

"Daddy?" Valeria looked at her parents, holding one another, and she so much wanted to be included.

"Oh sweetheart. Daddy is so sorry. I was wrong. I jumped to conclusions that weren't true. I know it wasn't your fault." Loki said. Valeria flew into her father's arms, and the little family felt joy for the first time in months.

Vali went to Thor, biting his lip to hold back the tears. He crashed into Thor's chest weeping, feeling like he did when he was small.

"It is alright son. It's alright now." Thor said, comforting him. From all directions, the people of Asgard came. Servants and soldiers that survived the onslaught bore witness to the events of this night. Sif and Hogun found their way to the square and joined the celebration of the return of Thor and Loki.

 **Epilogue**

Jewels and trinkets clanged on the dresser top as Thor divested himself of his ceremonial armor. It had been two weeks since The Great Resurrection, as the people had come to call it. Thor and Loki had been crowned this day, following their wedding ceremony.

Their marriages to Sif and Sigyn had ended at the moment of their deaths. The magical marriage contracts binding them were gone. Thor publicly gave Sif and Hogun his blessing, while Loki told Sigyn she was free to remarry. Sigyn was in no hurry. She still called Loki husband.

Valeria was getting counseling for the trauma she'd endured. To everyone's surprise they found Vali to be quite devoted to her, and ever kind. Their shared experiences had brought them closer, and to Loki's relief, he saw love building between them.

Loki pulled at the laces of his garb, stripping away the finery that denoted his new rank as co-ruler.

"Did you hear, that the people think we are immortals now?" Loki asked Thor.

"Really?"

"They all seem to think that we cannot be killed twice."

"Good, let them think that." Thor said. There was a new power dynamic in Asgard, and new social norms. Being cruel to ergi men wasn't just no longer tolerated, it was a practice that was outright feared. Everyone feared Hela's judgement in the afterlife.

"I think we should send the girls on holiday. It would be good for them. Mother has been very sad lately, and Sigyn and Valeria could use some time away from the palace too."

"What about Sif?" Thor asked.

"Nay. She and Hogun are too busy with one another." Loki said with a smile. He climbed into bed, looking down right naughty.

"What shall we do while the family is away?" Thor asked.

"Well, for starters, I think my heat is starting. I thought it was just wedding nerves this morning. But I've been sweating profusely all day, and now I've got that feeling inside that I get when it comes around." Loki said.

"I can't remember if you and I have ever made love in an actual bed before." Thor said.

"Of course we have! Our very first time, when we were young." Loki said.

"And it's been stolen kisses and romps in the forest ever since. I'm going to break the bedframe." Thor said.

"By the Norns I hope so." Loki said. Thor climbed into bed with him. They kissed languidly at first, delighting in holding one another without fear of interruption or discovery.

"I want to look at you." Thor said. He tossed away the covers to gaze at Loki's fully nude form. It was a treasure and treat so rare. Loki looked Thor over as well, never before having the time to memorize all the little dips and valleys of his body. Their fingertips raked over one another as they committed to memory all the little imperfections they could never before appreciate.

Over the years their quick little interludes had always involved Loki bending over to allow Thor easy access, while his pants were still partially on.

"I want to lay on my back while you make love to me. I want to see your eyes for once." Loki said.

"Yes." Thor growled. Thor moved around and grabbed Loki's knees to splay him wide. He lingered there for a moment, just admiring the view.

"I can't wait to stick my tongue in your ass."

"What's stopping you?" Loki asked. Thor pressed Loki's thighs all the way back to angle Loki's butt up off the bed. He dived in, licking, savoring, fingering at his lover's hole. Loki keened, arching and moaning as Thor ate him out.

"Mmm, you're so loose and wet." Thor said. His tongue teased upward, lapping at Loki's balls. He sucked one into his mouth, rolling it around on his tongue. Loki's heavy essence and flavor filled his nostrils and he relished it. He moved up Loki's shaft next and took the weeping tip into his mouth.

"Mmm. Thor." Loki muttered as he lost himself to sensation. He felt the slow sweet build as Thor teased and pulled away, teased and sped up. Loki didn't fight his orgasm this time. No worries about getting caught or cleaning up a mess, or having jizz sticking to the inside of his pants. He felt utterly relaxed when his balls drew up and his cock spasm the pulsating jets of come into Thor's throat.

"Such a tasty dick." Thor said after wiping his mouth clean. He slinked up Loki's body, settling between his legs. Thor's cock felt even larger than usual, perhaps because of the change in position. It was marvelous, the way he took his time. The drag of his cock was slow and exploratory, as though they'd never done this before.

"Thor! More! More please!" Loki begged, bucking his hips to meet Thor's movements.

"Mmm, I love this angle." Thor said, give tiny thrusts so that the tip his cock struck against the nub of Loki's prostate just so. Loki was breaking apart beneath him making a gorgeous orgasm face.

"Open your eyes baby." Thor said. "Look into mine." They moaned breathing heavy and sharing air. Thor's pace picked up and his shallow thrusts went ever deeper. His hips started slapping into his and the sound was like music to them. They climbed together, reaching that sweet peak of ecstasy as lips and teeth scratched against the tender flesh of necks.

"Yes! Right there Thor! Mark me! I want everyone to see!" Loki said. Thor did, pressing his teeth into that elegant juncture. Thor lifted Loki off the bed, kneeling back on his haunches with Loki straddling his lap. Loki trembled in his arms. It felt glorious having so much skin to skin contact.

"I want to fuck on the balcony in broad daylight where people can see us." Loki said.

"Is that why you want to send the family on holiday?"

"Yes."

"Then Sif and Vali are definitely going with them. And while we're at it, we will fuck on the throne, in the garden, and in the middle of the square." Thor said.

"And in the dungeons." Loki added. That made Thor raise an eyebrow.

"What? They have see-through walls and chains and…(Loki bit his lip) I'd be at your mercy. Anyone could walk by at any second and see you pounding that massive cock into me. Pulling my hair. My hole dripping your come and gapping, eager to be stuffed again. I'd be your cock slave. Who knows what denigrating things you could talk me into down there."

"One thing at a time love. We still need to break the bedframe."

 **THE END**


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